My First and Final Fantasy
by Rayna Lissesul
Summary: Ten years have passed and Sin has arisen. The final journey begins here...
1. The New Journey

First, I'd like to apologize for the delay. There were several… unprecedented problems that arose and it took me this long to battle them. Anyway, without further ado, here is… the disclaimer:

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(The New Journey)

"So, why you wanna come and watch us practice today, Lady Rayne?"

Rayne smiled from her place in the shady sand. Even ten years after Braska dropped her as his guardian and left her on Besaid, Wakka still insisted on calling her that.

"No particular reason, Wakka. I just needed to get out of the village."

He turned to her and smirked, "You worried about Yuna, ya?"

Rayne looked at the sky, "That. And something else"

Wakka shook his head and laughed, bouncing the blitzball back and forth between his legs over and over, "Same old Lady Rayne, ya? Just as vague and mysterious as ever."

"Ah, Wakka." She sighed as she leaned against the natural rock wall, gazing at the other Aurochs practicing in the hot white sand. "The only reason I seem a mystery to you is because you aren't clever enough to figure out the rest of the world."

All of the Aurochs heard this and began whispering about it, one of them unfortunate enough to be in Rayne's hearing range. "Jeez, that's cold, ya?"

"Botta!" The blitzer snapped to attention. Rayne glared at him. "I want you practicing, not chatting! The blitz tournament's coming up very soon, and I want the Crystal Cup here in Besaid! Is that clear?"

He saluted, "Ma'am, yes ma'am!"

"Good," She coolly said. "Now, get back to practicing." She glanced around at all of the Aurochs, who had stopped to watch the spectacle, "That goes for the rest of you, as well."

The Aurochs saluted, "Ma'am, yes ma'am!" And balls started flying everywhere, the players suddenly on overdrive.

Rayne smiled and crossed her arms behind her head, closing her eyes, "Ah, the influence I have. Please, allow me to bask in the ambience."

Wakka laughed and shook his head, "You really are something, Lady Rayne."

Silence followed his comment, followed by Rayne opening her eyes and asking in a quite voice, "Wakka, have I gotten stronger?"

"Eh?" He missed a kick and the ball smacked him in the head, he looked at her in shock. "What're you talking about, Lady Rayne? You've always been strong."

She sighed and looked at the sky, "When I arrived on Besaid, ten years ago, I was timid, naive, and acted foolish. I just want to know, have all of these years on Besaid changed me? Have I gotten any stronger, not physically or in magic, but as a person?"

Wakka dropped his ball and preformed the Yevon prayer, then knelt before her and looked at her, "In all of the years I knew you, Lady Rayne, I never thought of you as weak. Sure, in the beginning you were skittish, but you grew outta that. And now, other than Lu, you're the scariest person I know, and I think Lu got some of it from you! But you have changed, if that helps. You've changed a lot."

Before Rayne could answer, a cry of "Look out!" was heard, followed by a blitzball smacking Rayne in the head. Stunned and fearful cries rang out from the Aurochs and Wakka stumbled back. Rayne grabbed the blitzball and stood, her face lowered to stare at its rough and sand worn surface.

"Uh… Lady Rayne?"

Her head snapped up and, over the heads and shoulders of the blitz players she was about to scream at, she saw something that made her stop. Something yellow… with a human figure to it… drifting in the ocean. She sighed, "So it begins…"

"Lady Rayne?"

She turned her focus back on the blitz players and her eyes glowed, making them shrink back in fear. She held up the ball dauntingly, "You boys want this? Well," She threw it up into the air and served it like it was a volleyball, and everyone watched as it soared into the air, out over the ocean, "Go get it."

The Aurochs were about to oblige when they saw it fall from the air and hit something in the water. When Tidus lifted his head, Rayne leaned back against the rock and watched the scene unfold, zoning out when the boy had reached shore. 'So, he has come. Which means Auron may still very well be alive, and we will meet him soon, in Luca. And we will go to Zanarkand, where my baby will…'

"Hey!" She shook her head and snapped out of it, facing Wakka and Tidus, who were looking at her with odd looks on their faces. Wakka waved to her, "You alright?"

Rayne nodded and stood straight, "So, this is the Sin boy."

"It's Tidus." He automatically answered. "Who're you?"

Wakka smacked the back of Tidus's head, "Show some respect. This is Lady Rayne."

Rayne laughed a little, then walked forward and reached out with her hand, "You can drop the 'Lady'. Wakka just never outgrew calling me that."

Tidus nodded and took her hand, shaking it. "Nice to meet ya, Rayne."

She nodded, "Pleasure to meet you, Tidus."

When they stopped, Wakka took a step backwards, "I was just takin' him back to Besaid to get him somethin' to eat. You comin', Lady Rayne?"

Rayne sighed and smiled, "I believe I will."

As they walked, Tidus looked around him with his jaw dropped. Rayne saw this and chuckled, "Enjoying the scenery of Besaid?"

Not looking away, he nodded, "Yeah…"

When they had arrived at the cliff above the waterway, Rayne stood back and watched Wakka push Tidus in, then dive in after him. She walked to the edge and the orange haired blitzer waved up at her, "We'll meet you there, ya?"

She nodded as they swam off, then took a moment to look at her reflection in the water. Even if ten years in Besaid hadn't changed her mentally, it had physically. She was still wearing the same style of outfit she had bought in Luca, but it was now made of the Besaid fabrics, which were far more comfortable. She still had her hair done up in the same fashion that Rikku had done it, but years under the Besaid sun had made it a bit darker, and several years of stress had assured the presence of streaks of grey. Her eyes were still blue, but instead of icy like they used to be, they were darker, almost navy. She had also gained a bit of weight, which was actually an improvement, seeing as she had almost been a stick when she had arrived in Spira.

Despite everything, though, Rayne was happy with the changes. It made her feel… more Spiran, and she was happier in Spira than she had been at home. True, she missed her brother and family, but… this place seemed to fit better. Then again, maybe that was just her motherly instincts for Yuna talking; they always spoke in favor of Spira.

Rayne snapped out of her reverie and looked up, catching a glimpse of Tidus and Wakka disappearing around a corner. She sighed and turned, taking the scenic route back, where she had only a few encounters with fiends. Over the years, Rayne had cut back quite a bit on training and had all but forgotten her Sphere Grid, but she still head out to fight, every now and then. And, despite her irregular appearances, she fiends still knew her, and the smart ones avoided her.

When she made it to where Wakka's water route came back to the land on the ledge that overlooked the village, she sat on the ancient railing and looked over the edge, waiting for them to appear. Not long after, Tidus and Wakka came trudging up the hill, water dripping from their clothes, and playfully pushing each other. When they saw her, they walked over.

"Lady Rayne!"

She stood and turned to them, smiling and nodding to Tidus, "Welcome to the Besaid Aurochs."

They froze and watched her walk away, Tidus mumbling when he thought she was out of earshot, "How did she know? Did you tell her?"

Wakka sighed and shook his head, "Nah, that's just Lady Rayne. She always seems to know. It's like she's psychic, or something. But she can't be; she's a terrible card player."

They shared a quick and nervous laugh, which was quickly ended when Rayne turned and smirked, "Wakka, I've been letting you win all of these years. Now let's go, I'm getting hungry, as well." She walked off with a smile, imagining the looks on their faces as they ran after her. Along the way back, they were caught up in a few engagements, but Rayne sat all of them out. When they arrived at the village, Wakka held Tidus behind to show him the prayer, but Rayne walked ahead and went to the hut.

She found a pot of stew boiling on the fire, so she made herself a small bowl and ate quickly, washing it afterwards and walking to the Temple. When she had walked inside, several people stopped their prayers and turned to bow to her. "Lady Rayne."

The Temple monk heard this and walked up to where she was standing, her staring at the entrance to the Cloister, her eyes half lidded as she listened to the Hymn of the Fayth. "Are you going in?" He asked in a low voice, "They've been down there for some time."

Rayne shook her head, "Yevon willing, she will succeed. She has the heart and soul for it. She's just taking her time, not wanting to mess it up. Besides, you and I have no clue what goes on in there, or how difficult it is. It is her first aeon, after all."

The monk nodded and backed away, leaving Rayne to gaze at the Cloister. No matter how calm she may have sounded, she was frightened. Sure, she knew the outcome, but she didn't know the process. These years in Spira had taught her much about Yevon, and she knew how much having faith in Yevon cost. So, yes, she was worried, but she wasn't about to show it to that monk. She never had liked Yevon much, anyway…

She turned as the Temple doors opened and Tidus walked in, shaking his head when he had to adjust to the changes in lighting. When he saw her, he walked up cautiously, whispering, "What is this place?"

Rayne turned back to the Cloister, "The Temple of Besaid; a Temple of Yevon." She looked at him again, "You have come on Wakka's suggestion to pray for relief from the Toxin, no?" He hesitated, then nodded. "Then pray to one of the statues. I suggest that one." She pointed to the newly added statue of Braska, knowing what would happen when he walked towards it.

He did, and the monk began talking to him, a collective gasp as he babbled about Sin's Toxin. She sighed and shook her head. An annoying scene from the game, but, she supposed, a necessary one. He walked around and talked to a few people, then walked back to her. "What's a summoner?" He flinched as the people gasped again.

"One who summons." She replied. She could have laughed; she always wanted to make that sarcastic answer. And she did laugh when he looked at her blankly, "They are those who pray to the fayth in order to obtain power. The statues of four of the greatest are in this temple," she gestured to the statues of Braska, Gandof, Ohalland, and Yocun, "and the statue of the first and her husband are above those." She gestured to Yunalesca and Zaon.

He nodded, still not really understanding. She sighed, "Go back to the hut and have a rest. You can explore more later." He nodded and walked out.

After a few moments, the monk walked over to her and muttered, "I'm going to speak with the other guardian. Will you oversee the Temple?" When she nodded, he walked out. After he had left and she was sure that all of the people were deeply in prayer, Rayne walked up the stairs and entered the Cloister, deciding to wait for Tidus's arrival.

She was standing in the back and staring at the grey walls around her for about an hour before she heard the doors to the Cloister open and slam, followed by the klotz of boots as Tidus ran around like a chicken with its head cut off. He had just entered the square room containing the Besaid Sphere when she walked up behind him and twisted his arm behind his back, pinning him to the wall.

"Uwah! Lemme go!"

"Fool!" She hissed in his ear, "What are you doing here?"

"Rayne?! Argh, they said that the summoner has been down here for too long! Ugh, I was gonna try and help."

"And what could you possibly do, huh? What could you do that we, the guardians, can't?"

"I—! ... Uh… I don't really know…"

She held him for a moment longer, then released him. "Grab the sphere and come with me."

He rubbed his arms, glared at her, but obliged, seeing as he had no clue what he was doing, "Jeez, you sure have a grip for an old woman."

She rolled her eyes, "I'm only twenty-eight, soon to be twenty-nine. That's not that old. Now, place the sphere here." She tapped the groove in the pedestal. He put it in and jumped back as the wall broke apart. He was about to push the pedestal in when she grabbed his arm, "Not just yet. Have you found the Destruction Sphere?" He shook his head and she sighed, "Come with me, then."

She lead him to a glyph, "Touch it." He did, and the wall slid up, revealing another room with a purple sphere. "Grab it and come." She led him back to the room where the Besaid Sphere had been, "Put it in the groove."

He stopped, looked at the sphere in his hand, then turned to her, "Why?"

She groaned, "Just do it!"

He did, hesitantly, and watched as a single purple line shot out of the side and disappeared around the corner, jumping when he heard an explosion a moment later. "What was that?!"

"Let's go see, shall we?"

They walked down the corridor that had previously been a dead end and found the lower half of the back wall had been blown away, revealing a small room with a treasure chest.

"Go on and open it, Tidus."

He did, and he pulled out a finely crafted staff with a ball on top. He studied it, asking as he poked the ball, "What is it?"

"A summoner's staff. It is called the 'Staff of Wisdom'. A powerful and useful weapon. Make sure to give it to the summoner, when you have the chance."

He nodded and sheathed the staff beside his sword. They then walked back to the pedestal, where he was about to push it in when Wakka pulled him into a headlock. Rayne sighed and pushed it in herself, leaving them to argue. When the lift had formed, they had finished talking and jumped on, while Rayne calmly walked on after them.

Wakka started talking about Lulu's temper and, when the lift had reached the bottom, was still going on about it. Rayne walked off first, followed by Wakka and Tidus, and two sets of eyes fell on them when they walked into the small circular room.

Lulu turned to them and raised a questioning brow, "Rayne? Wakka? What, didn't trust us with this?"

Rayne grunted and walked towards the entrance to the Chamber, standing directly in front of it at staring, not saying a word. She heard voices talking behind her, but they ceased when the Chamber opened and Yuna shakily walked out. She collapsed, nearly busting her head on the stairs, and everyone gasped. Rayne made to move, but Kimahri beat her to it and caught Yuna. Yuna then stood and flipped her hair back, looking around and smiling as a trickle of sweat ran down her face.

"I did it. I have become a summoner."


	2. The Summon and the Likki

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(The Summon and the _Likki_)

Everyone stood in the circle outside of the square, Yuna waiting to summon for everyone. Wakka was heard shouting, "We're ready!" and Yuna nodded, turning back and performing a quick dance, one of the Yevon symbols forming beneath her feet. A shrill cry was heard, and Rayne beamed as she watched Valefor swoop into the circle and land before Yuna, allowing her to stroke her head before she was Dismissed.

Wakka and Lulu walked over to Yuna to congratulate her. She stood with them for a few minutes before she ran over to Rayne, who was sitting on the Temple's raised platform. Rayne smiled and stood, and Yuna threw herself into her arms. "I did it, Rayne! I'm a summoner now."

Rayne laughed lightly and smiled, "Yes, just like your father was. But, even without him in the mix, I knew you could do it. I'm so proud of you, Yuna."

Yuna looked up at Rayne and smiled, a bit sadly, "Do you… do you think I could make it to Zanarkand? Like he did?"

Rayne sighed and buried her face in Yuna's hair, "I'm sure that, if you really wanted to, you could."

The young summoner nodded, "I… I know what would happen, and… I'm okay with it. I want to do this, Rayne, I really do. Promise that you'll take me all the way?"

Rayne hugged her tighter, "I'll follow you to the bitter end, baby."

Yuna trembled slightly and Rayne shook the sorrow out of herself, pushing Yuna away and saying, "No crying. You're Spira's hope, now. You have to be strong." Yuna nodded and turned when she was called. Rayne gave her a slight push, "Go. Enjoy this celebration. And don't forget to say hello to Tidus, right over there." She pointed and Yuna nodded, walking away.

Kimahri walked up beside Rayne, "Lady Rayne has been good to Yuna. Yuna think of Lady Rayne as a mother. Yuna is happy Lady Rayne is coming on journey."

Rayne smiled, watching as Tidus sheepishly handed Yuna the staff. "I know, Kimahri, I know. But, that doesn't make letting her go through with this any easier. But, it's funny, even after I learned that I would have to watch her die, I still had no doubts about guarding her until Zanarkand."

The Ronso nodded and grunted, "Kimahri will go now. Kimahri will wait for you to come."

Rayne nodded and Kimahri walked off, but then she remembered something, "Kimahri!" He stopped and turned. "Don't kill him tomorrow." He blinked, then nodded and continued on his way out of the village.

She sat and watched the festivities for a few more moments, then stood and walked back into the hit she had come to call home. She knelt before the low bed and reached under it, pulling out a long black box. A cool chain that hung from her wrist peeked out of her sleeve, a silver key slipping out and tinking against the lock on its own.

Rayne smirked, "You want out, don't you?"

With trembling fingers which she was quick to steady, Rayne slid the key into the lock, turning it until she heard it click and the bracers on each side snapped up. Slowly, her hands opened the lid, revealing her staff. It had been crafted by a Black Mage who was also a master weapons smith, and it had been passed to her by his unsent wife. It had also been him who had given her the powers of the Black Mage.

Her fingers ran lightly over the staff, savoring the feeling of cool metal she hadn't touched for nearly ten years. "I'm sorry," she muttered, "But when they left me, I just couldn't… I was so hurt…" The ruby at the tip glowed softly, as if trying to comfort her.

Sighing, she lifted part of the casing and pulled out the staff's sleeve, the specially made tan leather sheath. She strapped it to her back, but left the staff inside of the case. "You and I will be truly reunited tomorrow. Then, we will face our longest journey, together." The ruby was still glowing when she shut the lid.

She walked out of the hut and entered the one next door, where the weavers were hard at work, trying to keep up with Spira's high demand of Besaid's coveted fabrics. One of the weavers heard her enter and stood, performing the prayer, "You have come for your order, Lady Rayne?"

Rayne nodded, replying, "I hope it wasn't too much trouble. I know that you are already hard at work for the Luca market, but—"

"Oh no," The man chuckled as he pulled a box out from behind one of the looms, "It was no problem at all. You paid us much in advance, and that actually help us purchase the items we needed. We were honored to have been able to help."

She took the box and laughed, "You all give me too much credit. You have been making my clothes for the past ten years, so I am always ready to help out, you know that."

He nodded at watched as she pulled out the items, talking as she looked them over. "They are exactly as you ordered. Your jacket, which is knee length, is the deepest of blues and woven tightly to protect it and the wearer from the elements. Your gloves are fingerless, died pitch black and stitched with red thread. And, a plain pair of blue loose slacks and a plain shirt, designed for comfort."

Rayne looked over the items and nodded in approval, "Once again, the Besaid weavers have preformed to the best of their abilities. I thank you." She reached for a bag beside her main Gil purse and handed it to him. "The other half of the payment, as promised." The both bowed to each other and Rayne walked back to the hut.

Just as she walked out, Lulu was walking into her home in a huff and Wakka was sulking to the Crusaders Lodge. Rayne sighed, knowing that they had gotten into an argument and, remembering from the game, knowing it was about Chappu, which was still a tender subject for all of them. She stepped into the hut carefully, watching noiselessly as Lulu stormed around the room and slammed things around.

"Lu, you know him; he's a helper. He likes to help people. And, him thinking that Tidus resembled Chappu, well… that would only make him want to help more."

Lulu sighed angrily and sat on the bed, crossing her arms and glaring at the ground. "He's a fool. He leaps without thinking, not paying attention to the doom that awaits him below."

Rayne sat beside her, "Isn't 'doom' a bit… too strong of a word? Don't get me wrong, I agree. But… bringing a stranger into the village, and then asking him to join the Aurochs, will hardly lead to anyone's 'doom'."

The moody Black Mage shook her head, "He refuses to accept the fact that Chappu's gone. He keeps trying to hold on to some kind of hope; any kind. He needs to let it go, or else he will only end up disappointed."

"You speaking from experience?"

Lulu turned and glared at Rayne, "You know I'm not. I accepted the fact that Chappu died."

"Did you?" Rayne sighed, "Lulu, when someone you love dearly dies, it takes a long, long time to accept it. I saw you, Lulu. Sometimes, you used to walk out to the pier and wait, watching people get on and off of the _Likki_, as if you were waiting for him to come back. You never stop loving someone, even after they die. And part of you never really accepts the fact that they did. Trust me. I am speaking from experience."

Lulu watched Rayne as she stood and walked over to the sofa, lying down on it and turning her back. "Do you still regret never running after them?"

Rayne lifted her head and turned to face Lulu, fixing her with a meaningful stare, "Every day of my life."

There was silence, and then they both lay down and slept, knowing that they were about to begin the longest journey of their lives.



When Lulu woke the next morning, she found Rayne already up and moving about. Lulu's moogle, along with several velvet bags and her Grid, were already laid out on the table, and Rayne was digging through several boxes desperately.

"Is something wrong?"

Without looking up, Rayne doubled her efforts and mumbled, "Can't find my blasted Grid. Where did I put it?"

Lulu smiled and reached behind the headboard, pulling out the dusty, CD case- sized slate of stone. "Memory going already, is it?"

Rayne snatched the slate out of the younger Black Mage's hand and growled, "I'm only six years older than you, Lulu, so if my memory is failing me now, just imagine what it'll be like for you. You're far more stressed out than I am."

Lulu laughed and stood, walking over to the table and grabbing her things. She then heard Rayne reaching under the bed and turned around, watching with slight awe as the older guardian took out her staff and sheathed it to her back. Rayne then took all of her old color coordinated bags out of the box and tied them to the tan, woven leather string mesh on the lower part of her shirt, just like she used to.

After making sure that they were all secured tightly, Rayne walked over to her sofa bed and threw on her coat and strapped on her gloves. She then took her loose pants and shirt and tied them to the straps she had specified to be sewn inside of her coat. When she was done, she turned to Lulu and smiled, "Ready?" Lulu nodded and they walked out of the hut together.

Outside, Wakka was already waiting, bouncing his blitzball from knee to knee. He looked up and waved when he saw them. "Hey! We just gotta wait for the newbie and Yuna, then, we're ready."

As if on cue, Tidus walked out of the Crusaders Lodge, stretching and yawning loudly. He saw Wakka and ran over to him, "Hey."

Wakka hesitated, then unsheathed a beautiful blue blade and handed it to Tidus. Rayne recognized it from both the game, and from the past. Brotherhood… Chappu's old sword. Rayne looked away as the static between Lulu and Wakka rose for a moment.

Rayne sighed, "One down, one to go." At that moment, Yuna walked out, toting a rather large bag behind her.

Lulu sighed, "You don't need all of that luggage."

Yuna stopped and answered, panting slightly, "Oh, these aren't mine. They're gifts for the Temple's we're to visit."

Wakka shook his head, "This isn't a vacation."

Yuna thought about it, glancing at the suitcase sadly, "I suppose… you're right." She walked to them, leaving the bag where it was.

When the young summoner had reached them, Rayne set her arm on her shoulders and said, "Don't worry. I'm sure that the fayth will consider your prayers offerings enough, as will the Temple worshipers."

Yuna smiled and nodded, and they were off. They encountered several battles on the way up, where Tidus learned about the various points of battle. The first giant bird-fiend they encountered, Yuna showed off her summoning skills. The next one, though, Wakka and Lulu pulled everyone back.

"Let's let Lady Rayne show us her stuff." Wakka turned to her and smirked, "That is, if she still remembers how to use that staff on her back."

Smirking evilly, Rayne quickly lifted her hand and pulled out the staff on her back, throwing it spinning into the air, twisted her own body around twice, and caught it again with the hand she had behind her back, the ruby on the top glowing brightly.

"Let me show you how a real fight is done."

The bird swooped in and Rayne ducked, but she was a tad too late. The fiend's head grazed her shoulder and knocked her backwards. She landed on her back, the air rushing out of her.

She heard the others gasp and she saw Yuna about to rush in, but Lulu grabbed her arm and held her back, shooting a knowing glance Rayne's way. Rayne nodded back. 'Thanks, Lu.'

The fiend shot into the air and was hovering above Rayne when it dove, heading straight for her abdomen. She lay on her back, not moving, zoning out and reaching deep inside of herself for her power. In her mind, a picture of a glowing and pulsating silver orb formed. It wasn't as bright as it once was, and the pulsing was slower, as if it were sleeping. This was the current form of her power; a sleeping orb. She reached out and touched it; willed it to wake.

Back in Spira, the others watched in horror as the fiend closed in and Rayne didn't move. The others were trying to run to help, but Lulu held them all back, knowing what Rayne was doing. It had, after all, been quite a bit since the last time Rayne actually used her power, and Lulu had to respect her as a fellow Black Mage and give her her space.

Then, just as the fiend was about to sever Rayne in half, her eyes snapped open and she lifted her legs over her head, using her hands to brace herself as she rolled backwards and jumped away. Too late to pull up, the fiend crashed into the ground, dealing a massive amount of damage to itself. It was just struggling to get up when Rayne pointed to its head and screamed, "Blizzard!"

Her attack missed slightly at hit its neck, freezing it and stopping the fiend from moving and breathing. Growling angrily, Rayne ran forward and raised her staff high into the air, using the blunt bottom to bury it into the fiend's skull. She then yanked her staff out and spun it around, digging the top, bladed part it into the hole. Grabbing the staff with both hands, she twisted it sharply and a loud crack was heard. The fiend shuddered and relaxed, melting into pyreflies.

Rayne stood where she was, glaring at the ground and panting. She heard footsteps beside her and a hand on her shoulder, "You did well. You summoned your powers well, especially after they had been dormant for so long."

She sighed and stood, turning to nod, "Thanks, Lu. I am a bit rusty, though."

"Ah, don' worry about it!" Called Wakka, who still looked a bit shocked, "You'll get back into the swing of things in no time. After all, you were Lord Braska's guardian!"

Rayne grunted and sheathed her staff, continuing her trek up the hill. "Half a day as a guardian doesn't count as being a guardian, Wakka."

Lulu turned to glare at Wakka, who lowered his eyes and scratched the back of his head guiltily. Rayne didn't pay anyone any mind until they had reached the _Likki_.


	3. Kilika and Old Jokes

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Kilika and Old Jokes)

Rayne stood beside Tidus as he watched Yuna and the others say their teary goodbyes to their fellow villagers. Tidus had done well against Kimahri when the Ronso challenged him, and Kimahri hadn't killed him. Tidus turned to her and stretched his hands behind his head, "You're not gonna join them?"

Rayne sighed and stared at the ocean, "I wasn't originally from Besaid. I've only been here for ten years, and the only people I actually knew well are traveling with us. There won't be any heartfelt farewells for me, so why bother?"

"Ah." He paused, "So… uh, do you know where we're going to next?"

She nodded, "Kilika Port. Once we're there, Yuna will go to the Temple. We'll probably stay the night, then head out on the S.S. _Winno_ and head for Luca. From there, you'll hopefully be able to find someone you know." She silently added to herself, 'And you will, despite your doubts. You'll find someone you weren't expecting. And then, when you're done talking to him, I will talk to him… You had better be there, Auron.'

Rayne sighed, making Tidus look at her questioningly. She stole a glance at him, then walked off, "If anyone asks, I'm taking a nap."

She had probably only had about three hours of sleep when it happened. The ship was jostled violently, and she woke with a start. She didn't need to hear the people's cries to know what it was. "Sin." 'Jecht.'

Rayne ran onto the deck to see the others battling a giant fin and an army of blue bug creatures. She ran in front of Yuna when one of the fiends shot a volley of spines at her, taking the brunt of the attack. She growled and raised her staff, waving it violently, "Thunder!" The bolt came down and scattered the fiends, killing most of them. She almost screamed with exasperation when more came to take the dead ones places.

"The fin! Aim for the fin!" She heard Yuna cry behind her.

Rayne nodded to the summoner, then to Wakka and Lulu.

Tidus jumped in, followed by Kimahri, "We'll cover you!"

Rayne grabbed the spines and yanked them out of her arms and chest, throwing the bloody needles down. Yuna saw this and cast a 'Cure' spell on her. Rayne was ready for battle.

While she, Wakka, and Lulu attacked the fin at long range and shaved off the fin's health, Tidus and Kimahri protected them from the spines and Yuna cast 'Cure' after 'Cure'. Soon, the ballista at the front of the boat broke off and disappeared into the water, leaving a terrible shockwave that rattled the boat and jostled the passengers. Kimahri held Yuna in place. Tidus wasn't so lucky. When they saw he was gone, Wakka dove in after him.

Rayne, who wouldn't be able to swim in her heavy skirt, paced the deck with the others, waiting for Wakka to return. After several panic-ridden moments, Wakka and Tidus emerged, both of them victorious. Kilika, however, wasn't so lucky.

When the boat arrived, all that was left of the Kilika that Rayne had once seen was a few huts, the main walkway, and a load of debris. Rayne punched her fist against the railing of the boat and Yuna lowered her head, "I will defeat Sin. I must defeat Sin."

Yuna asked to perform the Sending, and the villagers cried out in relief. Rayne never remembered hearing Tidus ask about the Sending, she only saw Yuna, dancing on the water. She watched Yuna dance, the girl's pain and sorrow evident on her face. She looked tragically beautiful with the pyreflies rising up around her. When she was done, she walked back to the pier.

Lulu gave Yuna her complements and suggested that she not cry next time. Rayne hugged the girl, whispering, "Don't worry, baby, I'll cry for you." A tear trickled down her face and wet Yuna's cheek. Even when the journey was over, that accident in Kilika remained a blur to Rayne.

The next morning, Rayne woke late; even later than Tidus. She sighed, "I haven't slept like that in a while." She walked down to the receptionist, "Excuse me, has my party left?"

The woman nodded, "Yes, I believe that they set off for the forest."

Rayne thanked the woman and ran off, strapping her sheath to her back and shoving her staff into it. She arrived at the edge of the forest to find everyone waiting for her. "Sorry, so sorry." She panted.

Wakka walked up to her and patted her back, "It's alright, ya. You looked a little out of it when we got here yesterday."

She frowned and shook her head, "I haven't seen Kilika in so long, but I remember it vividly. And to see it like that was…" There was a brief silence, after which Rayne brightened up and said in a frighteningly cheery voice, "Anyway, let's go! We have a new aeon to get."

They watched her skip off into the forest, and trust me, seeing a grown woman skip into the deep dark woods with a huge smile on her face is not an encouraging sight. They glanced at each other hesitantly before walking after her. In her head, memories of her time here with Braska, Jecht and Auron were flashing through at the speed of light, and she wasn't enjoying them at all. When her brain surfaced from the memory pool, she froze at the familiar sight before her.

When the others walked up, Tidus tapped her on the shoulder, "What's up?"

Her only reply was to raise a hand and point, at which the others looked and froze, as well. There, across the bridge, in the same place it was in last time, was the Lord Ochu. Luzzu and Gatta, who were guarding the bridge, walked forward and took Rayne's frozen stance as one of fear.

"Yes," Luzzu chuckled, "The Lord Ochu is a fearsome sight, for he is a fearsome fiend."

Rayne snapped her attention his way and narrowed her eyes, "You think I'm scared of that, Luzzu? Ha! I'm just surprised it, that's all. I beat another one right here, ten years ago. It kinda ticks me off that it's back."

Luzzu backed up and bowed, "My apologies, Lady Rayne."

She waved her hand at him, "So, are you going to let us pass so we can fight it?" She heard the others behind her gasp and turned to face them, "What?"

"Rayne!" Yuna exclaimed, "It's… it's just so…"

Rayne walked over to Yuna and placed her hands on her shoulders, "Yuna, I have full trust in your abilities. As do I the rest of you," she glanced at the others pointedly, "I've seen you all grow in power, and I know you can handle it. Besides, believe it or not, once you get passed the poison, this guy's a pushover. In fact," she turned and walked away, sitting on a stump, "I'm so confident that you all can beat him, I'm sitting this one out."

They stared at her like she was mad, but Yuna nodded and walked to the bridge. Tidus followed soon after, as did the others. "Luzzu, Gatta, come! Let us sit back and see this battle unfold." The Crusaders exchanged glances, then Luzzu nodded and they sat by Rayne, watching the battle with trepidation.

As she expected they would, they soon learned that the Ochu wasn't big on fire, and Lulu used this to their advantage. With Yuna casting 'Cure' and 'Esuna', Lulu dishing out 'Fire', and Wakka, Tidus and Kimahri on beat down, the Ochu was quickly beaten, its fallen body melting into pyreflies. Rayne jumped to her feet and applauded, then ran across to join them.

"Told ya!" She said, winking at Yuna and patting Tidus on the back.

Tidus looked at her, "You beat that think before? By yourself?"

Rayne nodded, "Yeah. It might have been somewhat helpful before the battle was over, but it has a pool of liquid on the top of its head that is extremely flammable."

Wakka gapped at her, "And you didn't tell us that before because…"

She walked off, shouting over her shoulder, "That would have made it too easy!"

She heard a chorus of hands slapping heads and grinned.



Tidus looked at Yuna, exasperated, "Who is she, again?"

Yuna giggled, "She was on Besaid when I arrived. She had traveled with my father for a time, and he had left her there. When I arrived, she, Wakka, and Lulu took me in. As Wakka and Lulu are like my brother and sister, she was like a mother to me."

He nodded, "Oh, I get it. But, wait, if your father left her there, where is she from?"

"No one knows." Lulu walked up beside them, staring at Rayne's back, "The only ones she was believed to have told were Lord Braska and his guardians."

"Yeah, she never told anyone else, not even us." Wakka added.

Tidus tilted his head, "So… other than her name, you don't know much about her."

They exchanged glances, then nodded. Tidus sighed. Yuna laughed.



Rayne looked at the steps before her with a look of horror on her face.

Wakka came up beside her, "What's wrong? You remember these steps?"

She shook her head, "I never came here. This is gonna be worse than a Stair Master…"

He looked at her oddly, then turned to Tidus and his blitz team and began a history lesson. Rayne sighed and walked on up anyways. Once they had completed the first flight, Rayne had to stop and take a breather, leaning against the blue save point heavily. "I am so out of shape."

"Would you like an escort? I could carry you."

She gritted her teeth, trying hard not to snap, "No thank you, Jassu, I'll be fine."

Wakka shook his head and grinned, "She's right, ya. Climbing a few of Lord Ohalland's famous steps will do her some good. Might even make her feel younger!"

"Argh!" She spun around and pulled out her staff, jabbing Wakka in the chest with it, "If I hear one more age joke, I'm gonna beat the person who said it to a bloody pulp, then I'm gonna 'Thunder' them so bad, their pyreflies will feel it on the Farplane!"

Staff still out, she turned and marched up the stairs, ignoring the stitch in her side and forcing herself to breath in her nose, out her mouth, in her nose, out her mouth. A moment later, Yuna and the Aurochs ran passed her. "That's it! Get back here!" She lifted her skirts and began to run, ignoring the laughter behind her.

She could not, however, ignore cries that came from the top. "Sinspawn!"

When this was heard, all of the guardians high tailed it to the top where, waiting for them, was a large grey, planty fiend and several flailing tentacles. Everyone surrounded Yuna and began to attack the head, which did little damage. Rayne noticed that every time she and Lulu cast a spell, one of the tentacles absorbed it.

"Lu!"

"I know!"

"What do we do?"

"I'm not sure!"

After a brief pause, the game came back to Rayne's head. "Tidus! Kimahri! Attack the tentacles head on and destroy all of them! Lulu, Wakka, help me guard Yuna!" After a few moments of guarding and getting hit by poisonous fumes, Rayne's vision briefly went red. "The hell?" When she looked down at her body, it, too, quickly flashed red, and she felt a thrust.

Lulu noticed this and shouted, "You're ready to use your overdrive!"

"I have an overdrive?!"

Then, the last of the tentacles fell and the circular fiend opened up, revealing the soft, vulnerable part of the fiend inside.

"Rayne, use your overdrive!"

"How do I do that?!" She screamed, looking at Tidus.

"You don't know how?!"

"No!" She was hit by a spell, knocking her to her knees.

"Focus your energy on your staff, it'll do the rest!"

Doing as he said, she called back the thrusting feeling and forced it into her staff. It glowed red, then began to pulse.

When Lulu saw this, she shouted, "Now, pick a spell!"

She thought about it, the heat of the moment making her brain indecisive. Wait… heat… fire. The ruby at the tip of her staff glowed brightly and the words and actions just came to her head.

She began to spin her staff rapidly above her head, the heat building up in her hands. Soon, as if driven by the kinetic force of her hands, her staff burst into flames, which rose up in a spinning ball of fire.

"Cyclonic Incinerating Salvo!"

She threw her still spinning staff at the fiend, where it stuck in its gooey flesh and the flaming ball exploded, dealing massive damage to the fiend. It shuddered, but didn't fall, and an exhausted Rayne shouted, "Yuna! Valefor!"

The summoner nodded and everyone cleared out of the way, save Rayne, who collapsed where she was. She saw the lights shine in the sky and the great bird drop, and heard it land nearby. Yuna shouted, "Energy Ray!"

There was a bright light, Rayne felt the heat, and she drifted away…



_She was drifting… in white… so warm… so tired… _

_But… no… she couldn't die… not yet…_

"Don't worry, you're not dead."

_Huh?… Bahamut …_

"Yes. Open your eyes."

_She did… and… found herself… somewhere familiar…_

_But… she had never been here… she couldn't remember it…_

"This is your home on Earth. Where you used to live, with Michael."

_Michael… her… twin brother?…_

_Wait… she didn't have a brother…_

"Yes, you do. Look, he's playing the game."

_Heh… so he was… he was playing the game that started it all…_

_But… wait… was that… her?…_

"Yes, that's you on the screen. You no longer exist as a human on Earth, but as a character in the game."

_Then… no one remembered her?…_

"Oh, no. Michael remembers you. But he's the only one."

_Just him… only Michael… who was playing the game…_

_Huh?… wait… on the screen… she was on the ground… Yuna is crying…_

"You died."

_Heh… she died… that's… kinda funny… _

_But…hey… she thought he said she didn't…_

"In-battle deaths aren't permanent, you know that."

_True… wait…_

_What's that burning sensation?…_

"Oh, it's just a Phoenix Down. They're reviving you. Well, goodbye."

_Wait!… What about… Auron?…_

"Ha! Don't worry, you'll see soon enough."

_That's… not… fair…_



She woke gasping, the air that filled her lungs burned with such an intensity, it drove her into a coughing fit. She heard crying, and Yuna's voice rapidly muttering 'Cure' over and over again. Her eyes were opened, but all she could see were colored blurs and flashes of light. Yuna was still crying.

"Yu…na…"

She heard Yuna gasp and collapse by her, then a cool smooth rim at her lips and an oversweet liquid being poured down her throat. 'A Potion.'

"Rayne!" Yuna called, "Rayne, please! Answer me!"

"Yu…na. Come."

She felt her head cradled in a lap, and the blurs were becoming more distinct. A blue orb and a green orb floated into her vision. "Rayne?"

Rayne forced a smile, "I… thought we agreed… that I would do… the crying."

"Oh, Rayne!" She felt Yuna wrap her arms around her, "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you! I didn't know that Valefor's beam would reach out that far! I almost had to send you! Oh, Rayne, I'm so sorry."

Rayne chuckled and sat up, her vision rapidly clearing and she saw everyone surrounding her, staring at her with worry in their eyes. Both Wakka and Lulu looked close to tears. She chuckled again and scratched the back of her head, "Hehe, sorry. First time using an overdrive, and it almost killed me! Nope, never gonna do that again."

There was a round of collective sighs, and Yuna hugged her again. Rayne softly but firmly pushed the summoner off of her and stood on her feet. She swayed a bit, but Wakka ran forward and steadied her. "You shouldn't stand up so fast, ya? You just got revived."

"Ah!" She brushed him off, "All of you quit treating me like I'm old, these grey strands don't mean a thing. I'm as good as ever, if suffering from a little vertigo. Come on, let's go to the Temple."

Lulu sighed and stopped her before she ran off, "We aren't treating you like you're old. That was the first time you were revived, yes? Then you need to rest. Being revived does have its negative effects on the body, especially the first time around."

"Then I'll walk slower. Let's go."

They sighed, seeing that they couldn't stop her, but they did hold her to her word and made her walk slower. Yuna stayed glued to her side, keeping one hand clutching her jacket like she had when she was younger, and insisted on helping her climb the steps.

She sighed, "Yuna, baby, I'm fine. Lulu just said that it's the effects of my first Phoenix Down, and I'm still a little rusty. Don't worry, by the time we hit Luca, I'll be doing back flips."

Yuna giggled, then sighed, "I'm sorry. You're right, you're still fairly young."

"Fairly?! Yuna, this hair may tell you otherwise, but I'm twenty-eight! My problem is this; I'm a bit overweight, out of shape, and I've been docile for the past ten years. If you want to worry about an old person, go worry about Kimahri! I've heard that Ronso live to be three times as old as humans, and if he looks our age, that would plant him in his seventies or eighties!"

Yuna giggled again, then let Rayne's jacket go. Rayne made it to the top without another complaint and no help.


	4. Snapping

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Snapping)

When they reached the Temple, Rayne's legs burned with a vengeance. But, then again, she had just done Stair Master: Ohalland Supreme Edition, so that could be justified. She also knew that the burning was a result of working out, so, when it came to getting back in shape, those steps had brought her one step close. 'Hey, looks like Wakka was actually right… for once.'

On the way down to the Cloister, the group ran into a scantily clad summoner and her tall, muscle bound guardian. Rayne, who was in the back admiring the temple, had just overheard the summoner, a woman named Dona, start to give Yuna some static about the number of guardians she had. She was just about to march to the front and give the woman a good slap when Tidus noticed and cast a 'Slow' spell on her. So, by the time Rayne got to where Dona and her bulky guardian (turns out his name was Barthello) had been, they were already long gone.

Instead of letting out her frustration on Tidus, she turned and smiled at Yuna, "You handled that well, Yuna."

The young, modest summoner took a quick glance at where Dona disappeared and muttered, "I can't believe that there are actually summoners like that out there." A thought struck her, and she turned back to her guardian, "You weren't planning on doing anything, were you? You still have a weakening 'Slow' spell cast on you…"

Rayne rolled her eyes and muttered, "Oh, nothing too drastic. I wouldn't have killed the skimpy, indecent little…" She trailed of in a string of curses that made Yuna immediately glad she hadn't heard half of them.

Yuna quickly turned back to the rest of the party and clapped her hands, "Ok, then! Let's go, everyone!"

The Cloister was hot, borderline blistering, and Rayne had to remove her jacket and tie it around her waist. When they had reached the final trial before the Chamber, Rayne stood back and excused herself. "I need a breather, and I don't much feel like being cramped into a tiny hot space just yet. I'll join you in a moment."

The group nodded and walked on, the door closing as soon as they were in. Rayne sighed and sat, leaning against the wall, "Come on, kid. I'm dying of heat stroke, here…"

Soon enough, Tidus ran into the room, fiddling around with spheres and turning off the wall of flame. He screamed when he saw Rayne, waiting and staring at him, "I didn't mean to! Dona made Barthello put me on the lift, and—"

Rayne raised her hand and silenced him, "I know, I heard the argument. I was hoping, though, that the lift would take you back up. It didn't?" Rayne felt a bit bad about lying, but it was what she had to do.

Tidus sighed and shook his head, "No…"

She nodded, "Well, as long as you're here, you might as well make yourself useful. Come."

He followed her, obviously a bit suspicious, "Hey, this is like what happened in the last Cloister. I show up when I'm not supposed to, you're waiting for me, and then you make me do something before we go to the Chamber."

Rayne shook her head and sighed, "Very observant of you. Now, take that Kilika Sphere and put it in the pedestal. Once you're done with that, push it onto that blinking light over there."

He did, and the section of the floor fell, revealing a Destruction Sphere, "Hey, another one of those Destroyer Sphere thingies!"

She sighed, "It's 'Destruction'. Now, take the sphere and put it into the slot in that room up there. Open the chest and bring the item back. I'll open the door."

He ran up a moment later, carrying a bracer for Wakka. "Good," She nodded. "Now, go."

"Ah, wait! Why do I have to go first?"

She smirked, "What? Afraid of Lulu?"

"No… well… yes, but…"

"You're going first because you were hanging around where you shouldn't have been. You are not a guardian, and therefore shouldn't have even entered the doors that led to the lift."

"Aha!" Tidus exclaimed, a smile on his face as if he had actually found a way to weasel his way out of trouble, "But Yuna said that she did want me as a guardian! This morning, in the woods. You weren't there yet, so you didn't know!"

"Aha!" Rayne mocked, "But, you were never made an official guardian, yes? Otherwise, it would have been run through me. And I highly doubt Wakka and Lulu would let you join just yet. You've only just started fighting fiends. Now, march!"

"Hey, wait!" She paused and he looked at his feet, "I… I need to talk to you. It's… about Yuna's dad's pilgrimage. You were with him for a bit, right? So, you know about a guy named Jech—

"No time. Later! March!" She pushed him up the stairs, panicking. 'Damn, he was going to ask about Jecht! And I still haven't figured out what I'm going to say! I have to try and hold it off until Luca…'

Tidus tried to talk, but when Rayne pushed him into the antechamber, he stopped and was forced to take some verbal abuse from Lulu and Wakka. Rayne stood back and stayed silent, thinking about the conversation Tidus had almost started.

He had referred to his father as 'a guy named Jecht', so he probably still didn't believe that the Jecht he had heard of here was his father. And he probably wouldn't believe it until he heard it from Auron… or her. She was determined to make sure that it was Auron. He had, after all, cared for Tidus for the past ten years, and would know how to handle it better. But, if Auron really was dead, she'd have to tell him. Tell him that it was his father who was Braska's guardian. Tell him his father was… Oh, crap.

If Auron wasn't in Luca, she would have to tell Tidus that his father was Sin. And, as soon as Tidus figured out that she knew this, and that she knew his father, he would ask all sorts of questions. What then? On Earth, she had only played the game up until Auron and Tidus became guardians, and in Spira she had only been with Braska's party for several short days. Now, even more than before (if that was possible), she wanted Auron to be in Luca.

Rayne snapped out of her reverie when she heard Tidus shout, "We play to win!" Somehow, she had managed to zone out long enough for them to have made it back to the surface and face the Luca Goers.

The leader of the Goers, Bickinson, had just questioned the Aurochs' ability to win, and Rayne felt she had to say something. She stepped forward and cast a small 'Thunder' spell, drawing attention to her. She raised her hand to her hip and glared, "Damn right the Besaid Aurochs are going to win the Crystal Cup! You Goers may have skill, but the Aurochs have skill, heart, and then some. You don't stand a chance."

"Hah!" Laughed Doram, "What's this? One of the Aurochs little groupies? Hmm, she looks a bit too old to be any good. Must be reserved for the captain!"

Rayne twitched and her fellow travelers backed away, Wakka and Lulu exchanging worried glances when the air around her crackled slightly and her pupils dilated. "You wanna run that by me again? No, you know what? Don't bother. Let's just skip to the part where I rip out your tongue!"

Rayne lunged at Doram, who shrieked and jumped backwards. Before she could even touch the blitzer, though, all of the Aurochs grabbed Rayne and held her back. "LET ME GO, NOW! SHE WILL KNOW THE TRUE MEANING OF PAIN!!!!" She was actually about to squirm out of their grasps when Kimahri grabbed her by the waist and hefted her from the ground.

Doram quickly recovered and laughed again, "That's right, hold her back! Had she laid a single hand on me, my team would have made sure that she paid."

"Oho, is that so?!" Rayne growled, "Well, I guess that's why you screamed like a coward and turned tail to run when I jumped at you, huh?"

The Goers brushed her off, seeing her as no threat in the Ronso's grip, and walked off with their snooty reply, which Rayne was too angry to hear. When they had disappeared down the steps, Kimahri dropped Rayne on her feet, joining the Aurochs and the summoner's party in giving her reproachful looks.

"What? Hey, I may have lived in peaceful old Besaid for the past ten years, but I'm still enough of the old me to not take that kind of crap from prissy little twits like her."

"Lady Rayne," Wakka began in a reprimanding tone, "I can't believe that I actually have to tell you, of all people, this, but you're a guardian. And, no matter where you're from, there are certain strict rules you have to follow as such. One of them being keeping your composure! Cool it, ya? We'll beat them in the tournament, that'll be enough."

Rayne inhaled deeply, then let it out, "Sorry, I have no clue what came over me. You're right. No matter what, I have to keep a level head." She turned to Yuna, performing the prayer, "I have dishonored you, Yuna, and I will reconcile for it. I must be a better person to be a better guardian. I will personally go apologize to Doram and the Goers. Please, meet up with me at the inn." Without another word, Rayne turned and ran off.



As the group slowly made their way down the steps, Wakka and Lulu stayed in the back. They both knew they needed to talk, but were hesitant, considering the topic.

Wakka spoke first, "Was that…"

Lulu nodded, "Yes, I believe it was. It may only be the second time it's ever happened while she was with us, but…"

"It matched Lord Braska's description, didn't it?"

"Yes. I felt a sharp spike in her magic that shouldn't have been physically possible."

"Ya, I kinda felt it, too. And did you see the air around her?"

Lulu sighed, "Let's just hope that her apologies don't go too badly."



When Rayne finally caught up to the Goers, she twisted through them and tapped Doram on the shoulder, "Pardon me."

The blitzer turned and sneered, but backed away slightly, "What do you want?" Her team murmured in agreement.

Rayne lowered her head and bowed, "Forgive my intrusion. I simply came to say something to you."

Doram, looking a bit suspicious, said, "What?"

Rayne swallowed her pride and preformed the prayer, saying loudly with her head dropped, "I came to you, Miss Doram, to apologize for my threats and actions earlier. They were improper, and not befitting of one of my position."

The Goers burst into laughter, and Doram mockingly replied, "Oh, you came to apologize, did you? Have the Aurochs finally wised up and admitted defeat?"

Rayne clenched her jaw and her fists when the Goers laughed again, but she said in a voice just as calm as before with a wide smile on her face, "I came, Miss Doram, not as an emissary of the Aurochs relinquishment of their former claims, but as a fellow woman who acted wrongly and was sorry for it. The claim, though, still stands. The Aurochs will take home the Cup, and will do so fairly; in an official match, where their metal, as well as yours, will be tested. In addition to apologizing, I also wish you the best of luck explaining to all of Luca why their best just wasn't good enough. And, as council to your answer, part of it may include that the Aurochs were the better team." She said the last part in a whisper so that only Doram could hear it, leaving the blitzer red-faced and wide-eyed. She turned and walked passed them, heading into town, "Have a lovely day!"



When Rayne walked into the inn with a wide smile on her face, her team gasped and Wakka moaned, slamming his head on the table. Rayne looked at them in confusion, "What?"

"You killed one of 'em, didn't you?" Wakka asked, his head still on the table.

Rayne smiled, "No, not at all. I simply gave a pleasant apology and went my way. I even believe that Miss Doram may have accepted it."

Lulu stared at her, shocked and clearly not believing, "Really?"

The older Black Mage laughed and nodded, "Yes. Now, how's our ride to Luca coming along?"



When they boarded the S.S. _Winno_ that afternoon, Rayne immediately excused herself for the night, wanting to avoid Tidus's questions as well as any trouble she could get herself into, which she seemed to be able to get into with ease. When it turned dark out, though, she snuck out of the cabin and onto the deck to listen in on Tidus and Yuna.

She laughed quietly when Tidus failed spectacularly in his attempt to perform the Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark III, and listened to his conversation with Yuna intently. The look on his face told her that now, even more than before, Tidus truly believed that his father had been the Jecht that had guarded Braska. And, the part of it that scared her, was that he seemed to be intent on figuring out more.

She slunk back to her hammock and threw herself on it, burying her face into her pillow. "You just have to avoid him until he sees Auron. That's all it takes; let him see Auron first. You can talk to him freely after that, and even talk to Auron, but he must see Auron first." She sighed and turned to the wall, snuggling further into her pillow and drifting off to sleep.

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Michael stared at the TV, his eyes wide with disbelief. The woman he saw on the screen simply couldn't be his sister, she looked too different. The hair and the eyes were too dark, the demeanor too bold, and the age was all wrong. But… the other characters called her 'Rayne', and he never remembered the character being in the game when his sister had first played it.

The game's main character was still Tidus, and the story still revolved around him, but there seemed to be something wrong with the character Rayne. Her part seemed awkward and her attitude and mannerisms were far different from anyone else in the game, even Tidus. She seemed… Earthy. She acted… like any person from Earth would.

But, she also seemed Spiran, as if her Earthen attitude only existed because she might have previously lived on Earth. In fact, take away the Earth element completely, and she might have been Spiran. Then again, take out the fact that she was in Spira and she might have seemed Earthen. Too Earthen to be a coincidence. Take out the fact that she was in Spira and a bit too old, and that woman could have very well been Rayne.

Michael looked away from the game and to the letter from his Aunt's address. It hadn't been in her writing. Neither had the message on her answering machine. But they had both told him to play the game, and here he was, playing, yet not knowing what he was looking for. Playing, yet not believing what he was looking at.


	5. Meeting in Luca

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Meeting In Luca)

Surprising herself greatly, Rayne woke before anyone else on the ship (other than the crew). She walked onto the deck and peeked her head into the bridge, "Excuse me, but how much longer until we reach Luca?"

The helmsman grunted and squinted at the horizon, "'Bout another hour, ma'am."

She bowed, grabbing the purple pamphlet before she backed out, "Thank you."

The helmsman simply grunted again.

When she had shut the door, Rayne opened the pamphlet and looked inside. A familiar greeting, then the two letters below it.

CL

Rayne smiled, "A primer." A thought hitting her, Rayne snuck back down to the cabins and walked up to Tidus's belongings. She dug around for a moment until she found what she was looking for. 'His collection of primers.' She added her most recent acquisition to his collection, then snuck back out.

When she saw the large blue orb in the corner of the corridor, she walked up to it and touched it, allowing it to loosen her joints and sooth her muscles. She then noticed a sphere on the floor beside it, looking a little dusty and forlorn. She reached out to grab it, but found it stuck fast. "Eh?"

The sphere flickered and glowed, and a voice suddenly started talking inside of Rayne's head, "Would you like to compile your Al Bhed Dictionary?"

Rayne looked at the sphere, uncertain, "Uh… sure?"

There was a pause, followed by a ping. "Thank you. Please continue to collect primers in order to advance your dictionary." The sphere flickered off.

Rayne pulled away and slowly back up… right into another person, "'Ey! Watch where you're goin', eh!"

She turned around and began bowing, apologizing rapidly, "Oh, I'm so very sorry! I was startled… but that isn't a good excuse, sorry. Please, forgive me!"

The man chuckled, "No need to worry so much, love. I'm perfectly fine."

Rayne looked up, "Aren't you a merchant? That one merchant… oh…"

The man, a short, portly person with a large pack on his back, bowed, "O'aka XXIII, merchant extraordinaire, at your service, mum. Or… at least I would be extraordinary if people would buy my goods. Or if I had much to sell."

Knowing what was coming, Rayne dug out her Gil purse and handed him 10,000 Gil. "Here, for your trouble and future prosperity."

He looked at the money with wide eyes, "You sure about this?"

"Yep."

"Then, allow me to say that you will be thanked in the future, if ever you buy from me!"

Rayne laughed, "I'm sure I will. Excuse me, I must get ready and go to watch the docking."

"Thank you!" He shouted as she turned and ran back to her cabin.

As she shifted around, her movements aroused the others. Tidus watched her strap on her staff and bags then throw on her jacket before he sleepily asked, "What's the hurry?"

She turned and smiled, "We're almost in Luca."



Rayne breathed the air in deeply, watching with fond eyes. It was as beautiful as she remembered, and perhaps a tad bigger. One thing that hadn't changed, though, was the stadium. It was still as big and as blue as she remembered, and the fans were still cheering just as loudly.

As they pulled in to dock, the announcements were heard over the loudspeaker, and Rayne wanted to throttle Jimma and Bobba so bad. It was announcers like them that had always chapped her finding any entertainment in sports. When the Goers pulled in, Rayne was silently proud of Tidus taking that megaphone (from wherever he had found it) and openly challenging them. She knew that, despite his reprimanding, Wakka was, too. The huge smile on his face helped her suspicions out, as well.

When Grand Maester Mika's boat pulled in, Rayne contemplated skipping the meeting with Seymour, but quickly decided against it, seeing as Yuna would need her. The game hadn't done justice to Mika's age and frailty, and Rayne almost felt sorry for him… almost.

When Seymour appeared, though, she knew right off that, servant of Yevon or no, the half human, half Guado man was the one whom they would come to ultimately recognize as the villain. His icy blue eyes, eerily similar to Rayne's before they had darkened, scanned the crowds as he stepped off the ship. They, though, held more malice and ill intent than the old Rayne could ever have managed.

"Citizens of Spira…" As he spoke, his eyes roamed the people, as if peering into their very souls. His eyes raked across hers no longer than they had anyone else's, but she immediately felt violated and borderline physically ill.

When his eyes stopped on Yuna, though, they lingered. And, when they lingered longer than they had in the game, and far longer than Rayne was comfortable with, she raised her arm and draped it across the young summoner's shoulders making it as obvious as possible. His eyes shot back to hers, and she made sure that he was met with the same icy blue eyes she had long ago, and that her current strength was poured into them as she glared. He seemed amused, but Rayne received the desired results; he looked away.

She felt Yuna tug lightly on her jacket and bent down slightly, a faint "Thank you." whispered into her ear. Rayne nodded slightly and turned the both of them back to the group. "Let's head to the lockers."

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Outside of the locker room, Yuna stared at Rayne confusedly, "A 'previous engagement'?"

Rayne nodded and looked away, "I agreed to meet someone, and I have to do it before the tournament."

"But—" She was cut off as several noisy people rushed down the hall, all of them slamming open the door to another locker and speaking loudly.

"Did you hear?! They say that Sir Auron is at a café, here in Luca! Wha—? Yes, I'm sure! He's at the Blue Café, right now! Yeah, let's go!"

When they had run off again, Yuna turned and looked at Rayne excitedly, "Sir Auron! Oh, surely, you want to go see him, Rayne!"

Rayne shook her head, "I have plenty of time before we leave. I do want to see him, yes, but not in a cramped café. You go, though, and take Tidus. I'm sure he'll want to go."

Yuna looked like she was about to protest, but Rayne turned and walked away before she could. Rayne watched from the shadows until Yuna, Tidus, and Kimahri had run passed, then she began to walk around the stadium. Remembering the battle that was to come, Rayne stocked up on extra Potions and Phoenix Downs. She then returned to walking.

After a while, she saw a flare shoot into the air and explode, and knew that Yuna was safe. It also meant that the battle was approaching soon. 'Auron…' So he was here, her presence hadn't changed the future. She was relieved, yet… scared. She turned another corner and froze. There he was, watching the game on the sphere. She slowly walked over and stood beside him, turning her own eyes to the sphere. She felt him gaze at her. She kept watching.

"You came." He sounded almost… relieved?

"For Yuna… and the story."

"Your appearance."

"Has changed. Ten years will do that."

"Your hair."

"Stress. Rearing a child as spirited as her wasn't easy."

"… Are you ready?"

"This time? Or for the battle?"

"Both."

"Yes."

"You know, then."

"As if I wouldn't."

He turned back to the sphere and watched as Tidus swam out. Rayne smiled.

"He's more like his father than he thinks."

"He is."

"… I miss them."

"… As do I."

The game went on, and soon the fans were calling for Wakka. Tidus looked a bit disappointed, but swam off anyway. Wakka soon swam on to the sphere.

"You did well, raising him."

"I only watched him."

"And you never spoke to him? Comforted him? Protected him?"

"…"

"As I said, you did well."

The Aurochs won the game. The Crystal Cup belonged to Besaid. Then, the fiends appeared.

"Coming?"

"As if you could stop me this time."

They walked out into the stands and the dragon appeared. Auron smirked as it growled, and Rayne took out her staff, spinning it deftly.

"Ready?"

"More so than before."

They attacked.

Tearing their way through, they soon came across Tidus and Wakka.

"Rayne? Auron?!"

"Lady Rayne? Sir Auron?!"

Auron glanced down at her, "'Lady' Rayne?"

She shrugged, "Never could beat it out of him."

The giant bird-fiend appeared and attacked them. Somewhere below, Rayne heard the cry of a child. She began to scoot towards the edge. "Auron!"

"Go!"

He covered her as she jumped over the edge and landed right on another dragon-fiend that had cornered a little girl and her older brother. Rayne glared at the fiend, "Attacking children doesn't go over well with me." She fell upon the dragon, and all other fiends that dared approach her for a chance at the children, with all her fury.

Her string of spells soon ceased, though, when Seymour summoned his aeon. She watched with morbid fascination as the aeon's bleeding eye shot forth strings of power that overtook every fiend in the arena. When it was done, the aeon's eye cried a fresh tear of blood, and Rayne felt pity for it. Rayne took the children back to their mother, then wandered off to find the others.

When they had met up, again, Auron excused Tidus and himself. Rayne turned to Wakka, "Take the others to the stairs before of Mi'ihen and wait there. I must speak with Auron, myself." Wakka nodded and Rayne walked after the two sword users.

When she got to where Auron had taken him, Tidus was already on his spiel.

"Irritating, I know. Or, are you afraid?"

When Tidus didn't answer, Rayne walked out and said, "Probably a mix of both, which can be rather irritating in and of itself."

They turned to her and Tidus glared at her, "You."

She nodded, "Yes, me."

"You knew all along."

"Tell me what I 'knew' and I'll tell you if you're right."

"You knew my old man."

"Yes, I knew Jecht."

"And that he's Sin."

"Right."

"And, you knew I was coming."

"Define 'coming'."

"That I would arrive at Besaid."

"Yes."

"And that I would show up both times in the Cloisters!"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?!"

"Why didn't you ever ask?"

"I did! Or… at least… I meant to… and I tried…"

"I know. That was an unfair question. I always made sure that you were too busy to ask. Now go stand over there, Auron and I need to talk."

"Why should I?!"

She growled and grabbed his collar, picking him up off of his feet, "Because, you persistent cocky little rooster, when you haven't seen someone for ten years, you have a lot to catch up on. Now quit crowing and get!"

He glared at her, but walked around the corner nonetheless. Rayne took a moment to look over Auron. He had gotten taller and more battle worn, wearing an impressive scar over his right eye and a rather odd cowl around his neck. He also wore a pair of sunglasses, and had one of his arms out of its sleeve and sitting in his jacket.

When she was done looking at him, she stared him in the eye (literally) for a few minutes, clenching and unclenching her hands. He sighed, "Do and say what you will. You deserve it."

That kind of liberty wasn't something she was expecting, "Auron…" After a moment, nothing came to mind. So, she did the only thing that seemed right. She marched right up to him, drew her arm back, and punched him so strongly he faltered, nearly falling. When he stood straight again, she was already walking off. She glared at Tidus, who was stunned after watching from behind a pillar. She heard Auron start laughing loudly.

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Michael stared at the TV in shock. Rayne had actually dared to punch Auron. He couldn't believe it, and yet… he could. He remembered that when his sister was upset at him and couldn't think of any verbal retaliation, she punched him. It was a typical 'Rayne' reaction, and the Rayne on the game had just done it. And, Michael had to admit, when the Rayne on the game had punched Auron, he had seen a bit of his own Rayne in her. Slowly, but surely, Michael was starting to believe…


	6. Arguing Already

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Arguing Already)

When Auron and Tidus finally arrived, Rayne was staring out at Luca, still visually ticked. Auron could have laughed again when he saw her standing there, her arms crossed, her lips pursed, and her right foot taping rapidly, but he kept his usual stoic self and spoke his lines. When he asked Yuna if he and Tidus could become her guardians, he raised a brow when she turned to Rayne.

"Rayne, is it alright with you?"

Rayne stopped glaring at Luca and switched to glaring at Auron. She stopped glaring when she saw the condition his left cheekbone was in, but shook it off and turned back to Luca, "If you think he could possibly be of any help, then feel free. As for Tidus, I was already thinking about talking you into letting him join, anyway, so he has my approval."

Everyone gapped at her, and Auron bit back the chuckle rising in his throat. The rookie had gotten an automatic yes, but he had been called useless. Now that was funny. Auron shook that off and pulled Tidus aside, "Don't tell Yuna that Sin is Jecht." The kid looked at him as if he were brain-dead, but agreed anyway, waking off when Yuna called him.

Auron sighed and walked to stand beside Rayne, just to see her reaction. She had been standing at the foot of the Highroad steps, staring off into space and leaning against the railing, but when he approached she took a different stance. She stood ramrod straight and started glaring at the stairs, her arms crossed and her lips pursed again, her foot tapping. Auron nearly laughed again, the fact that she still had quite a bit of steam to blow now obvious to him.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, though, and turned when Tidus let out a loud and forced laugh. Rayne stared at both Tidus and Yuna with wide eyes when they both let out forced laughs, almost in perfect sync. They then broke down into giggles and turned back around, freezing when they found all of the guardians staring at them. "What?"

Rayne shook her head slowly, "Just concerned. Trust me, I know crazy, and that right there looked pretty crazy to me. Anything you want to tell us?"

Yuna laughed and smiled, "Only to remember, guardians, to keep smiling."

Rayne sighed, "Smiling, right." She then turned and walked up the stairs, the others trailing behind her. When she made it to the top, she was huffing slightly, and was glad to have the blue sphere to lean against while she waited for the others. She noticed, with annoyance, that Auron seemed to be sticking close to her, but she did her best to ignore him.

To preoccupy her mind, she dug out her Grid and her sphere bag and began to work on activating as many nodes as she could. She hadn't used it in a while, so she had 26 moves available and so many spheres her poor bag was on the edge of tearing. She walked along the Highroad that way for a bit, her face buried in her Grid and her free had (or not-so-free) flipping through various spheres.

"Lady Rayne! Behind you!"

Without even turning, Rayne snapped her fingers and murmured a quick spell. The giant horned fiend that was about to gouge out her back immediately froze, trapped in a block of ice. Wakka's blitzball then shot passed her head and hit the block solidly, the block and the fiend inside shattering.

"Rayne!" She looked up to see Auron glaring at her. "Pay attention!"

"Screw you!" She marched passed him and stomped down the Highroad, stuffing her Grid away as she went. She was done, anyways.

Yuna ran to catch up with her, "Are you and Sir Auron… fighting?"

Rayne sighed and massaged her temples, "No, no, it's all me. I'm just a bit… out of it. Seeing him again… it brought back a lot of memories, and not all of them are pleasant."

"Then… maybe you should talk to him."

"Already tried. Did you see that bruise below his left eye?"

"Yes. I thought it happened during the fiends attack on the stadium."

"Nope. I did it when I couldn't think of anything to say to him."

"Rayne!"

"Ehg." She slowed a bit and let Yuna walk ahead. Soon, Tidus, Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri had passed her, as well. Then she was walking with Auron. 'Damn it!'

She glanced at him quickly, "How's you face?"

He glanced at her, "It's been better."

"Why haven't you healed it with a Potion?"

"I deserved it."

She sighed, "According to whose standards; yours or mine?"

"Both."

Her hand crept to her bags and she sighed, "Then here's something from my standards, alone." She slammed a Potion into his chest. "Drink the damn Potion."

There was a pause, during which her hand that was holding the Potion stayed on his chest. He then took the vial with his ungloved hand, his fingers brushing hers, and popped the cork. Rayne's hand lingered for a few moments before she slowly drew it away, some of his warmth still remaining.

"Thank you."

She kept her gaze focused ahead, rubbing her hand gently, "Don't mention it."

After a bit, they caught up with the rest of the group, which had stopped. Yuna was talking to a girl named Callie. "Yes, I will bring the Calm very soon." The little girl smiled widely and started running around Yuna, giggling, "Yay!"

When the girl and her mother had walked off, Tidus asked, "What's the Calm?"

"It is the time when Sin no longer plagues the people of Spira." Lulu answered.

"Ah. But, wait. Didn't Yuna's dad bring the Calm?"

"Sin dies and is reborn."

"Then, isn't—"

Yuna faced him, "Don't say it isn't worth it! If only for a little while, people can sleep at night without having to worry. It gives the people… something to look forward to. Please, don't say it isn't worth it."

When they started walking again, Auron noticed the strained look on Rayne's face. "Rayne?"

"It never stops, does it Auron?"

He was silent, then shook his head. "No."

Rayne sighed, "An endless spiral of death."

"What will you do?"

She stared at Yuna's back for a moment, "I will not let my baby die in that cycle. I will stop it. Or… at least help stop it."

"How?"

"Not sure. I need to find out more."

"Ten years and you still need more?"

Rayne clenched her hands, "Do you have any idea what I've been doing for the past ten years, Auron?"

He scowled, "No, I don't. So, why don't you tell me all abo—"

He was cut off as several fiends jumped them. As they fought, the others turned back and were ready to help, but watched in awe instead. Rayne and Auron were both tearing away at the fiends ruthlessly, using their anger as fuel. They were also, unbeknownst to them, moving in perfect sync with each other, defending one another and twisting around one another to get to the fiends that each knew the other could handle.

When it was over, they were standing back to back in a sea of pyreflies.

"Wow, they really did use to fight together, didn't they?" Tidus asked.

Yuna nodded, "Yes, they did. It is also my belief that they were very close before Rayne stayed on Besaid."

Tidus shook his head, "If they were so close, why didn't she go with them to Zanarkand?"

"All Rayne would ever say when I would ask was she hadn't been strong enough."

Rayne slid her staff back into its sleeve and collected the dropped items and spheres as Auron walked away. She stood and stared at his back, "We will talk more about this later, Auron! We can't keep avoiding it!"

He made a sound and glanced over his shoulder, "That sounds like it should be my line."

"Well, were you going to say it? Or were you just going to walk off?" He looked away and didn't say anything. Rayne rolled her eyes and walked passed him, "Thought so."

After walking a bit more, they came across Luzzu and Gatta leading a chocobo drawn carriage. They all stopped to have a friendly chat.

"Luzzu, what're the Crusaders up to this time?" Rayne asked, eying the carriage.

He looked at all of them in shock, "No one has told you about Operation Mi'ihen?"

"If we knew, would we be asking?"

He chuckled and shook his head, "No, Lady Rayne, I suppose not. Well, the Crusaders are—" He was cut off as three people on armored chocobos rode up. The leader, Captain Lucil, told Luzzu and Gatta off for lazing around, to which Luzzu saluted, "Yes Ma'am. Apologies." When she rode off, he turned to Gatta, "See? Keep your head down and saw 'Sir' a lot and you'll be fine." They said goodbye and were off.

Next, they met a woman named Belgamine. She was another summoner who offered to challenge Yuna to test her aeon's strength. Yuna glanced to Rayne, who smiled, then turned back and accepted the summoners challenge. Being the challenger, Belgamine called her aeon first, who happened to be the one Yuna recently obtained. When Ifrit landed on the ground and roared, Belgamine called out to Yuna to choose her aeon well.

Yuna already knew that it would be pointless to summon Ifrit, so she summoned Valefor. The bird had the advantage on the demon in that she was more evasive, but Ifrit was the powerhouse who didn't tire easily. After a few minutes, Valefor glowed red, and Rayne smirked. "Go for it Yuna!"

Yuna looked at her and smiled, then turned back to her aeon and shouted, "Valefor! Energy Ray!"

Valefor beat her wings and rose spinning into the air, where she arched her neck and opened her mouth. A white point of energy formed in her mouth and built up, getting bigger and bigger until it formed a ball of light. She then bent her neck forward and the ball shot out in a beam, which swiveled around Ifrit, causing the ground to explode. Ifrit roared in pain and fell to the ground, his body breaking apart into pyreflies.

Belgamine blinked, "Stop. That is enough."

Yuna bowed and walked to Belgamine, "That was… amazing!"

The older summoner smiled, "You have formed a strong bond with your aeons. It wouldn't surprise me to see you defeat Sin."

Yuna frowned and bowed again, "I believe that you may be able to before I."

Belgamine laughed softly and sadly, "I cannot. Or, at least, I wasn't able to."

Yuna gasped, "Then you're—"

"Yes, well… take this, it may come in handy." She handed Yuna a small silver disk with a golden engraved symbol. "It is the symbol of the summoner. That is known as the Summoner's Soul, and it will help you train your aeons to learn new abilities. Use it well. Good luck." She then turned and walked away.

And, when they walked even further, they came across a young Yevonite, arguing with a Crusader.

"Yes, but the teachings say—" The young girl began, only to be cut off by the Crusader.

"I have no time for your teachings! Good day." And he walked off, leaving the young girl to sulk.

They were going to walk passed when Rayne noticed the look on Yuna's face. "Yuna, no!" But it was too late, Yuna had already walked back to talk to the girl. Rayne groaned, but walked back.

"…I heard they were to use forbidden machina, and I had to stop them."

"Why?" Rayne could have groaned when Tidus asked this, knowing that another lesson was coming, so she walked away and stared at the grass.

"Blasted Yevonites are everywhere."

"You know, I used to be a 'blasted Yevonite'."

Rayne rolled her eyes and threw an apathetic glance Auron's way, "Which only serves to prove my point."

He chuckled, "What, you don't like Yevon?"

"You do?"

"That wasn't what I meant. Don't avoid the question."

"Fine. No, I don't like Yevon, not one bit. Not when they preach 'death to summoners' when they know very well that Sin will never die. No one has bothered to read in-between the lines, but Spira will never achieve the level of humility that Yevon preaches."

"You've noticed that, too?"

"When Yevon is everywhere you go, all you have to do is be a non-Yevon worshiper and pay close attention to see it."

"Hmm."

After a moment, Yuna was done speaking with the acolyte, Shelinda, and they moved on. The sun was setting and Rayne had to bite back a yawn. As they walked, the grass began to thin out gradually until they were in a clearing. To their right, they saw a building with signs written in Al Bhed.

"We rest here." Auron said, still walking. Rayne, agreeing that it was time to stop, followed him obligingly.

"But… but that's an Al Bhed shop!" Rayne wanted to throttle Wakka.

Auron, though, got to him first. The older guardian turned and glared. "You got a problem with that?'

"They…" Wakka paused, looking for a good excuse which, knowing the Al Bhed hater, he would have no problem finding, "They use forbidden machina, and in Luca, they kidnapped Yuna!"

Auron quirked a brow. "And where were her guardians?"

Everyone but Rayne flinched at this, knowing he was right. Rayne felt no remorse for knowingly letting Yuna get captured, it was part of the game, so she had no right to change it.

"Sir Auron is just concerned for your health." Yuna said, trying to placate the blitzer.

"I'm not tired one bit!" The hardheaded man said, puffing out his chest.

Auron rolled his eye, "Well I am."

"Lady Rayne! Do you agree with him?" Wakka was getting desperate to question Auron.

She turned back to the blitzer and said, "There is nothing wrong with staying here, Wakka, so grow up. You need rest, I need rest, Auron needs rest; we all need rest. And, if there is a bed available, you can be as sure as hell I'm going to take advantage of it. You still don't want to, fine. Sleep outside."

Once that had been established, Rayne walked inside and up to the counter, "How many rooms do you have available and what are their sleeping accommodations?"

The Al Bhed behind the counter looked over her list and replied, "There are three rooms; one with a double bed and two with two single beds."

Rayne frowned, but said, "I'll take them all." She then turned back to the group, "We'll need to figure the sleeping arrangements here and now so that there's no argument later. Lulu and Yuna, you two take the singe, that much I want to make obvious now."

They nodded and walked to the counter, took their room key, and walked to their room. "Alright, Auron and I will take one of the doubles."

"Any particular reason?" Tidus said with a sly smirk on his face.

Rayne looked at him blankly and his smirk fell, "You just gave a prime example of the reason, Tidus; so that I may avoid stupidity. Thank you for being today's model for the class. You, Wakka and Kimahri have fun fighting over beds; you three have the last double." She then grabbed the key, dropped the money on the counter, and walked to the room, leaving Wakka and Tidus in a state of panic (seeing as the Ronso had already won the fight for one bed).

When she walked into the room, Rayne dropped herself onto the bed nearest the window and sighed, happy to finally be off of her feet. Auron walked in a moment later and set his sword by his bed.

"Thanks."

Rayne lazily slit one eye open and looked at him, "For what?"

"For keeping me out of a room with the rooster and the orange-headed fool."

"Hey, we older guardians have to keep an eye out for each other. Besides, I think we both have a good idea of who in that room is sleeping on the floor tonight."

"Hm. He better not allow it to affect his performance in battle."

Rayne smiled, "Yeah, but it'd be a pretty funny thing to write on his tombstone: 'Here Lies Tidus; Died Running Himself Through Because Of A Crick In His Neck'. Has a nice ring to it."

Auron sat on his bed chuckled in response.

There was a prolonged moment of silence, followed by Rayne's eyes snapping open. She jumped to her feet and walked to the door, glancing out of it to see Yuna's skirt disappear out the entranceway.

Auron watched her, "What's wrong?"

Rayne walked back to her bed and grabbed, "My patented 'Yuna Senses' tingled, and they were right. She just walked out the front door. I'm gonna go keep an eye on her."

"Hm. I'll join you."

They walked out and found Yuna sitting at the edge of a cliff, watching the sunset. Auron was about to walk closer, but Rayne grabbed his arm. "Don't. I think she needs a bit of time alone."

"Hm, your 'Yuna Senses' again?" She noticed the skeptical look he was giving her.

"Hey, when you spend a long time caring for someone, you start to be able to tell how they feel. She needs a moment alone, trust me. Right, Kimahri?" The Ronso, who had been standing close by, nodded.

After a moment, the door opened and Tidus walked out, and looked around. When he saw Yuna, he walked towards her. Auron looked at Rayne with a raised brow, "You're not going to stop him?"

Rayne shrugged, "I said she needed a moment alone and, if you'll look back to the beginning of the last paragraph, the author wrote 'after a moment', meaning that Yuna's moment was up." She saw the look Auron was giving her and shrugged, "Hey, it's a writer's world."

When Tidus and Yuna started talking, Rayne raised her hands over her head and stretched, "Well, I'm tired. Keep an eye on them, eh?" She walked back inside without waiting for a reply from either guardian.

Rayne turned and shut the door, and when she turned around again she bumped into someone, knocking her head back into the door. "Oh! Byntuh sa! Yna oui ymnekrd?"

Rubbing the back of her head, Rayne looked up at the man who had spoken to her, "Sorry, I'm not that good at Al Bhed yet."

He bowed, "Forgive me. Are you alright?"

She nodded, "I'm fine. It was kinda my fault, anyway. Sorry. My name is Rayne, by the way."

He bowed again, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Rayne. I am Rin, the proprietor of this shop. I don't mean to pry, but did you say that you weren't well versed in Al Bhed yet?"

"Yeah, I did."

"So, you are trying to learn our language."

Rayne nodded, "Yeah. I met this cute little girl a few years back who was Al Bhed. She helped me with my hair, but I couldn't understand a word she was saying, so I decided to learn Al Bhed, just in case I ever met her again."

Rin smiled, "Yes, I noticed the beads in your hair. I'm glad that she inspired you. Tell me, please, how far have you gotten?"

She scratched the back of her head sheepishly, "I actually have only gotten up to the Spiran 'C', but I have learned a few phrases."

"Well then, allow me to help you further your education." He handed her two more primers. "There is a compilation sphere right over there, if you'd like to use it."

Rayne smiled and bowed, "Dryhg oui."

Rin smiled and bowed back, "Oui'na famlusa. And good luck."

When he walked away, Rayne made her way over to the sphere he had pointed out, opening the primers and looking them over.

DT

EA

She then touched the sphere and compiled her dictionary, the letters engraving themselves into her head. Another yawn rose in her throat, and Rayne bit it back and headed back to her room. Once she was inside and the door was shut, she took off her clothes and pulled on her relaxing clothes she had made in Besaid. The soft, loose fabric reminded her of home, and she couldn't help but feel a bit sad.

Shaking the feeling off, Rayne stretched out on her bed, not bothering to pull back the comforter, and began to drift off.



A bit later that evening, Auron walked into the room and found Rayne sprawled out on her bed, laying on top of all of the blankets and snoozing away. He sighed and took off his outer coat and his armor, then walked over to her bed and eased her under the blankets.

"Mmmm, Auron?" She mumbled, bleary.

"Yeah."

"We… we need to talk. Soon… I…"

"I know, we already agreed we would."

She grabbed his arm when he was pulling away, "I missed you, Auron. A… aaaahhh…. a lot. I think I nearly died when you left."

"You're tired. Go to sleep." He muttered, pulling away from her grasp.

She whimpered, "Don't go."

"I'm not leaving. We're in the same room. Go to sleep."

"Mmmm, goodnight."

He watched her, remembering the night when he had left her. "…Goodnight." She had just told him she nearly died. … For a while, he had felt the same.


	7. The Chocobo Eater

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(The Chocobo Eater)

It was morning too soon. The sun rose into the air and through the blinds, hitting Rayne in the face. She groaned and rolled over, burying her head under the blankets. Auron, who had been awake for a bit, chuckled and walked over to her bed, kicking it.

"Wake up. It's almost time to go."

Rayne drew the blankets around herself tighter, "MMMMMG, no!"

The older guardian frowned and kicked the bed again, this time harder, "The others will be awake soon. You need to wake up."

"Screw you."

Auron sighed and ripped the blankets off the bed.

"Damn it, Auron!"

"Up. Now."

She grabbed her pillow and slammed it over her head. "No!"

There was silence, and Rayne settled down, hoping that he had finally given up. But, as soon as the thoughts 'Auron' and 'give up' had finished crossing her mind, she tensed again. Those two didn't belong together without the word 'never', because Auron never gave up. And she was right.

Auron, who had walked out of the room for a moment, walked back in and over to Rayne's bed. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, ignoring her struggling and screams. He then carried her into the adjoining bathroom, walked her across the room, and dropped her into a tub half filled with freezing water.

He looked down at her stunned face and smirked, "I'd like to see you go back to sleep now." He walked back into the room, reappearing a few seconds later to drop her clothes on the floor. "Hurry up."

Grumbling, Rayne climbed out of the tub and peeled off her sopping night clothes, drying herself off thoroughly before slipping on her Spiran outfit, mumbling curses at Auron the entire time. 'You will pay for that, Auron, I'll see to that.'

She walked into the bedroom, ready to yell at him, but he was already gone. Grumbling, she strapped on her staff and bags and threw on her jacket, storming out of the room a moment later. Everyone was already waiting in the lobby, but Rayne focused her sights on him, "Auron, I'm gonna—"

"Ah! Somebody help! The chocobos!"

Pushing Rayne aside, Auron looked at the others, "That's our cue. Let's go!"

They ran outside and faced an ugly fiend that was all mouth and no torso. It held a squirming chocobo in one had and was about to drop the poor thing into its mouth when Rayne, in a rage, ran at it, "Oh hell no you don't!"

When she was close enough, she began to whack the fiend around the eyes, "You put that chocobo down now, damn it!" The chocobo bit down onto the fiend's hand, causing the fiend to drop it. Rayne stopped whacking and waved off the chocobo, "Run, little Boky! Be free and live hap—" The fiend turned on Rayne and smacked her, sending her sailing.

"Rayne!" "Lady Rayne!"

Rayne lay on the ground, glaring at the dirt and twitching. She heard the fiend stomping closer, so she rose to her feet and glared at it. "Thunder!" The fiend reeled backwards and Rayne turned to the others, "Let's take this thing down!"

They all joined and fought the fiend, quickly finding that it was better to use the beat down method. When the fiend stretched out its massive arms and ran forward, none of them could dodge it as it pushed them backwards. Tidus reeled at the edge of a cliff, "Whoa! Don't let it push us any further! Push it back!"

Wakka blinded it and Tidus, Kimahri, and Auron attacked it mercilessly, Tidus using 'Haste' on them. When they got it onto its back, Lulu and Rayne ran forward and began casting spells on it, Rayne soon turning and yelling, "Help us push!" They all joined and attacked at once, pushing the fiend back to the other ledge. The fiend, not liking this, rocked back onto its feet, where Wakka blinded it again.

This backwards tug-of-war went on for a while until Rayne felt herself pulse and glow red, "Get ready, everyone! I'm gonna use an overdrive soon!"

Somehow, the fiend managed to get the upper hand and had them pushed back to the edge, and was about to do it again when Rayne screamed, "Back! Now!"

The fiend's arms rose into the air, and Rayne focused her energy on her staff. 'Blizzard.' The ruby flashed, turning into a diamond.

The fiend roared, bracing its feet. The others dove out of the way, but Auron didn't make it in time. It was too late to stop, though; Rayne had already begun.

"Permafrost Javelin!"

She hefted her staff onto her shoulder, launching it when a thick sheen of ice formed over its length and formed an icy spike at the tip. It sunk into the fiend's mouth, getting buried halfway.

"Detonate!"

The spear exploded, tearing the fiend apart with millions of shards of glassy ice. The aftershock slammed into Rayne and Auron, rocketing them both backwards. They smacked into the cliff on the other side and dropped, falling into the crag, into the dark.



The others stared down into the dark crag, trying in vain to see their older companions.

"Lady Rayne! Sir Auron! You two okay?!"

Silence, then an answer, "We're still alive, if that's good enough!"

"Lady Rayne! Is Sir Auron with you?!"

"I really don't think there's anywhere else he could have fallen, Wakka!"

Yuna looked both ways down the crag, "What do we do?!"

Auron's voice was heard next, "Keep going! These two paths converge a ways down! We'll meet you there!"

"Hey! Is my staff up there?!"

"Yeah!" Tidus grabbed the staff and held it over the edge, "Look out, here it comes!" He dropped it down before anyone could stop him.

"You bonehead! You didn't give them nearly enough time!" Lulu shouted, looking like she could have strangled the blitzer.

There was silence below, and everyone grew worried.

Lulu shouted, "Are you alright?!"

More silence, then Rayne's screaming voice echoed up, "Damn it, Tidus! When I see you again, I'm gonna 'Fire' you so bad, they won't even be able to use the pulp in your teeth to identify your charred corpse! You nearly ran me through, you spineless little rooster! When I'm though with you, there won't be anything left for Yuna to send!" She went on like this for some time, but the others had already jumped back and run away.



"Stupid little…" Rayne grumbled to herself as she limped over to her staff and yanked it out of the ground.

Auron, who was leaning against the rocky wall, chuckled, "He at least needs to live until Zanarkand, so don't kill him yet."

Rayne growled and slid her staff into its sleeve, digging out several Potions and handing a few to her fellow. She sank down onto the ground beside him and began downing the Potions, gagging when she had finished four.

"Jeez, they really need to come up with something to wash away this aftertaste."

"Can you hold your alcohol?"

"Huh?" Rayne looked up at him and he shoved his jug in her face. She took it and stared at it. "You do remember what happened the last time I drank, right?"

"You want to get rid of the aftertaste?"

"Point taken." She lifted the jug and tipped it in his direction, "To washing away the taste of the oversweet. Cheers." She then brought the jug to her lips, downing only a little before she had to yank it away. "GAH! That is STRONG!"

He chuckled, taking the jug back, "I know." Then he, himself, took a swig, and a rather long one.

"How can you stand that?" She asked as she watched with mixed horror and awe.

"Years of practice. Besides, it tastes better than the overbearing sweetness of a Potion."

She smacked her lips, making a slight face, "I guess you're right…"

After a few moments of drinking Potions and washing them down with alcohol, they both stood and gathered their things, beginning the long road down the crag. There were fewer fiends in the pit, so Rayne took out her Grid and began working on it some more, successfully reaching and passing the second level spells before she had it ripped out of her hands. "Hey!"

Auron shoved the Grid into his coat, "You will not be doing that again. You can either work on the Grid or walk, and right now, we're walking, so no Grid."

"Why not? I did perfectly fine the last time I did it. Besides, I just reached the second level spells."

"Then you should be fine. And, last time, you weren't under the influence of alcohol."

"Oh, yeah, alcohol that you offered me!"

"Any alcohol I offer is still alcohol. You accepted it, you live with the consequences and rules I force upon you. You're my responsibility."

Rayne's eyes narrowed and she snapped. "That is not a liberty that you have to take, Auron! You will not boss me around!"

"Oh, really?" He stopped and turned on her, pinning her to the wall. As he loomed over her, he bent down and whispered in her ear, "Who's gonna stop me?" She trembled, so he softened his grip, "You drink, you're skills of observation and reaction are dulled. You drink, you're under the influence. We both know how you get when you drink, and, since I'm the only other one here, that makes it my job to watch you. Live with it."

A pang went through Rayne's body and she jerked, a memory suddenly flooding back to her. She remembered the last time Auron had been this close to her; he had been just as commanding, his tone had been the same. But, last time, he had left her.

"_Nothing is possible between us."_

She jerked again, making Auron pull away and watch her. "Rayne?"

"_Power isn't everything. You aren't ready for this."_

Auron grabbed her shoulders as she slid to the ground, still trapped in the memory. "Rayne, answer me."

"_You can't come."_

"Rayne?"

"_You have to stay."_

"It's alright Rayne, I'm here."

"_You have to have the chance we don't."_

"You'll be alright."

"_I'm sorry."_

"Rayne?"

"No, you weren't."

Auron watched her closely. Her tone was dark and her eyes were shadowed, she was clenching her hands tightly. He reached out to her, "I wasn't what, Rayne?"

When his hand was close, Rayne's hand snapped out and slapped it away, her skin shocking his, "The night you left, you weren't sorry. You said you were, but you weren't. None of you were."

"We were, Rayne. Leaving you was the ha—"

"I was nothing but a burden, and I obviously still am. It was easy for you to get rid of me then, but this time is different. This time you have to convince Yuna to get rid of me, and you know that won't be easy. You never liked me and you still don't, so you're trying to make me out to be irresponsible. Getting me to drink, just so you can use it against me later. Saying I'm your responsibility so you can make me out to be a burden."

"Rayne, it's nothing like tha—"

He froze as the air around her crackled, forming visible sparks. He remembered the last time this had happened. "Rayne?"

She snapped. Rayne lunged out at Auron, striking him so hard he flew across the path and slammed into the wall. He sat back up and saw her standing, looking at him. Her pupils were dilated. "YOU WEREN'T SORRY. YOU NEVER WERE!"

He jumped out of the way as a Demi spell went off right where his head was. Jumped again to avoid the Death spell. Jumped again to avoid the three consecutive Blizzaga spells. He jumped again, this time to land right in front of her. As her right hand went for her staff, he grabbed it and slammed it against the wall. Her left went for it, it was slammed against the wall. She began to thrash wildly, so he used his body to pin her.

"Rayne, calm down!"

She screamed in a way which sounded too feral. She couldn't understand him anymore. He thought back to the way Kala and Harref had calmed her and began to talk to her.

"Rayne, it's all right. You aren't alone anymore. I'm here, and I'm not leaving. I'm going to stay right by you. We're going to Zanarkand, remember? Yuna, Tidus, Wakka, Lulu and Kimahri are coming with us, and their waiting for you."

The spells lessened, but she was still struggling.

He leaned in closer, talking into her ear, "No one is trying to get rid of you, especially not me. You're staying with us. Like you said, we older guardians have to keep an eye out for each other, right? But, in order for me to do that properly, you have to calm down."

She stopped struggling and the spells ceased. "Auron?"

He held on to her as she slumped forward. "I'm here; I promise."

The world of red that Rayne had been trapped in faded away and she saw, or rather felt, Auron holding her. She felt so tired, so worn. "Auron, what…?"

"Sleep. I'll watch over you. Just sleep."

Her eyes grew heavy and she drifted into the kind embrace of darkness.


	8. Together in the Crevice

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Together in the Crevice)

When Rayne came to again, she was wrapped in a heavy blanket and propped against a soft bundle, which she recognized to be her jacket. All of her bags, along with her staff and its sleeve, had been removed and hung from a nearby tree. It was dark in the cavern, but there was still a strip of daylight far above and a fire close by. 'Evening…'

"You awake?"

She turned and found Auron sitting on the other side of the fire, staring at her. She sat up and groaned, "Yeah, I'm up."

"Good."

"… Auron?"

"Hm?"

"What's wrong with me?"

"…You remember, then?"

She shifted uncomfortably and stared at her hands. "…Yeah, I remember. I remember sinking into a dark red haze and… someone who wasn't me taking over… Well… that wouldn't be the most accurate description. It… was me, but… at the same time, it wasn't…"

"It was your magic."

She looked at him again, "My magic?"

He nodded, "When the old man, Harref, gave you your magic, you were mentally unstable. That, and your magic is more powerful than you can stand." He looked away, "It makes you… unbalanced, and if you become emotionally stressed, your magic takes over your body."

"Oh… That… wasn't the first time it happened, was it?"

"No."

"I remember both other times it happened, too."

His head snapped back to her, "Both?"

She looked back at her hands and nodded, "Yeah. The first time was with you, Braska and Jecht on the S.S. _Likki_, so you know about that. But, the second time was on Besaid, about five months after you guys left."

"…"

"After you guys left, I moved in with Wakka, Chappu and Lulu, and they took care of me. I sank into a depression; it was so bad I didn't even talk for the longest time. I might not have survived if it hadn't been for Lulu. She made me eat, sleep, go outside every now and then, and everything else. There were times she had to actually force the food down my throat. I was a mess."

"…"

"Then one day, a few months after you guys left, Kimahri showed up with Yuna. Her resemblance to Braska… woke something in me. One day, after a while of seeing her, I excused myself from the village. I went for a long walk, down to the pier, and sat at the end, watching the ocean, thinking. Seeing Yuna made me remember you guys, just as I thought I was about to forget you. Out on the pier, I got angry, and… well… you can guess what happened next."

"…"

"I remember it now. I was so angry, I started attacking everything in sight; both living and non. Wakka, Lulu and Chappu showed up not long after it started; I guess they suspected something was wrong. It took them a bit, but they eventually got close enough to restrain me, and they started talking to me the same way you did. I was still angry and thrashing when Yuna showed up."

"…"

"We have no clue how she got there; she just walked out onto the pier and stared at us. It must have looked kind of odd, Wakka and Chappu holding my arms and Lulu hugging me, trying to talk me out of my anger. I think that there were still several high level spells going off when Yuna walked up to me and grabbed onto my leg."

"…"

"The magic just stopped when she did and, even in my delirium, I looked down at her and saw her. She was clutching my leg tightly, her face buried in my thigh, and she was crying. At first, I thought it was because she was scared, and that made me angry. But, then, she looked up at me and said 'Please, don't be sad. I'm sorry for what I did'… Even as young as she was, Yuna saw that I was upset every time I saw her. Heh, she didn't even know what she did, but she was apologizing for it.

"…"

"It was at that moment I stopped thrashing and casting the spells. I just stared at her, going blank. The others let go of me, and Yuna grabbed my hand and led me back to the village. She talked the nuns into letting me stay at the temple that night, and I stayed with her. I went back to my quiet self the next day, but I always spent time with Yuna whenever she dragged me off. She somehow even got me to do funny little tricks for her with my magic. She healed me."

"So, how long was it before you started talking again?"

"…About two years."

"…"

"Auron… I know why you left… I understand… but… why did it have to be that way?"

He looked at the fire and shrugged, "You weren't ready for the truth. Had you known what would happen to Braska, you would have done everything in your power to stop him. And I… I didn't know then what I know now, and I would have stopped you. As for the way we left you… it wasn't how we wanted it to happen, it just happened that way."

They were silent again, both of the now staring at the fire. The strip of sunlight above had now faded and a strip of stars replaced it, the black around them sinking in and oppressing them. The firelight was their only reprieve from the crushing shadows, and even that was limited. Rayne remembered the other thing Auron had said, and she had to ask.

"Auron, that night… you said something else… you said that if I had arrived in Spira earlier, towards the beginning of the pilgrimage, you might have done something. What was it?"

"Married you."

Rayne looked up at him in shock and found him staring right at her, his face showing nothing but sincerity. "Auron…"

He shook his head and sighed. "Before I knew it, and in an irrationally short amount of time, I had fallen in love with you. When I thought about it realistically, I realized that it was irresponsible of me, but I couldn't help it. At the same time, though, I couldn't allow that to stop my pilgrimage, by that time it was already set in stone; I had to finish. It was too late to turn back." He stared at her with heavy eyes, "Back then, there was nothing I could do."

She swallowed hard, still looking him in the eye, "What about now? Is there still nothing you can do?"

He studied her, then looked to the fire, "… Ask me when we reach Zanarkand."

Rayne turned to the fire and sighed, "Well, then, that'll be two answers you owe me when we get to Zanarkand, won't it?"

He smirked, "Care to remind me what the other question was?"

"Do you want me here?"

His smirk fell and he thought about it, "Yes, that's definitely still a question to wait until Zanarkand for."

She brought her knees to her chest, "All questions seem to be answerable only in Zanarkand, don't they?"

Auron sighed, "Zanarkand is where all of this began. The story of this pilgrimage, Braska's pilgrimage, all pilgrimages, and even everything that came before all began in Zanarkand."

"… At least it has a nice name."

He blinked, then looked at her, "What?"

Rayne looked back, nothing but seriousness in her face and voice, "Zanarkand. At least it has a nice name. If it was… oh, I don't know… Jabalickena, or something stupid like that, I wouldn't care if there was an endless supply of icecream or a direct portal back to my home, I wouldn't go. I'd rather stay in Yevon worship capital as a nun than go to the place where all answers lie if the place were named something stupid. So… at least Zanarkand has a nice name."

Auron stared at her silently, his good eye twitching. Rayne saw this and her serious demeanor dropped slightly, her lips trembling. After a moment longer, they couldn't hold it in anymore; they both burst into gales of laughter.

"'Jabalickena'?"

Rayne laughed even harder, "You come up with a stupid name on demand. It's not easy!"

Soon, their laughter died and Rayne smiled, "I'm glad, Auron."

He chuckled, "About what?"

She looked back at him, her smile a bit wider, "That you opened up so much over the past ten years."

"Hmm."

"… Hey, Auron?"

"Hmm?"

"That last topic… was pretty random… wasn't it?

He stared at the sliver of sky, "The 'Zanarkand has a nice name' stuff? Yeah."

"And… we're both acting a bit out of character for ourselves, aren't we?"

He thought about it, "Yeah. Must be all that alcohol."

"… That's what I was thinking. We'd better get to sleep before we do anything we'll regret later."

"I agree."

"… Hey, Auron?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm cold."



The next morning, Rayne woke to face a scene that, under normal circumstances, would have sent her screaming. Somehow, during the course of the night, she and Auron had scooted around the fire, and were now sleeping together. No, not that kind of together. The kind of together where he was leaning up against a tree and she was using his chest as a pillow, with half of her body lying sprawled on top of his.

And so, like I said, if these had been normal circumstances, she would have screamed. But, these weren't normal circumstances. That morning, Rayne had woken up with a hangover. 'Damn Auron and his damn jug of… stuff!'

Instead of screaming, Rayne deliriously chose to seek refuge from the sun further in Auron's chest, a movement which woke the guardian and nearly sent him reeling. "Auron, don't move."

His body tensed, "What happened?"

She sighed and dug her head even further, finding his red coat surprisingly soft, "If I think really hard about it, the last thing I remember saying is 'I'm cold', then it's blank."

"Hmm." Every time she moved, he shuddered and ground his teeth. He clearly wasn't comfortable with the close body contact.

Rayne frowned and flicked him, "Stop moving. You gave me the damn hangover, so deal with me using you to hide from the sun. Besides…" She wrapped her arms around his waist, "You're warm."

He tensed again and Rayne smiled to herself, "Don't be so tense. Nothing happened, that much I know."

"Hmm."

Rayne sighed and pushed herself off of him, much to his relief. Auron abruptly stood on his feet when she was out of the way and walked back to his original position where he quickly gathered his items and prepared to move on, Rayne quietly following his lead. She was done before he was, and she watched him pack, shaking her head and smirking as his fingers fumbled his items repeatedly. 'Looks like I found a way to fluster the mighty Auron… hehe.'

As if he had read her mind, Auron turned and glared at her, "What's the evil smile for?"

She blinked, her smile dropping, then turned away and twiddled her thumbs, "Nothing at all, Sir Auron."

He twitched when she started whistling, then sighed and shook his head, turning down the path, "Come. We will arrive at the convergence point soon, and we don't want to keep the others waiting."

Rayne sighed and followed, lazily taking in the wondrous scenery. …Cliff… cliff… dead tree… cliff… patch of grass… rock… no, wait… that was a cliff, her bad… pebble… chocobo… clif—… wait… CHOCOBO?! Rayne stopped and leaned back, looking up at the lip of the cliff. A silhouette with golden outlining was staring down at them, and when it squealed, Rayne knew it was a chocobo.

"Chocobo!"

Auron sighed and turned, "What are you—" He stopped when the giant bird jumped off of the edge and onto the path, using the walls and his wings to slow his descent.

The chocobo walked up to Rayne and squeaked, lowering its head to nuzzle her cheek. Rayne saw the bruises on its legs and recognized the giant hand prints. "Hey, you're the chocobo I saved from the fiend yesterday!" The chocobo squealed and Rayne wrapped her arms around its neck, "Little Boky!"

"If you're done, we have to keep going!"

Rayne sighed and let go of her feathery friend, patting his head, "Sorry, Boky, but Sir Stick-Up-His-…well, you know, he has demanded our departure. But first," She took out a Potion and poured the liquid on the birds wounds, rubbing it in and smiling as the bruises faded, "There! Now, go on, be free and live happy!"

But the chocobo didn't move. It stood right where it was and stared down at Rayne with wide blue eyes, clearly expecting something. They stared at each other for five minutes before Rayne said, "Alright, Boky… why aren't you going?"

The bird tilted his head and squawked, then lowered himself into a sitting position on the ground, blocking Rayne's path. Rayne face faulted, "Alright, stay here then. I'll just… step over you." She lifted one leg and eased it over the chocobo's back, setting it on the ground on the other side and lifting the other one. At this point, the chocobo abruptly stood, leaving a dazed Rayne to teeter in a sitting position on its back.

"Eh?"

She heard Auron sigh and looked over at him as he shook his head, "He wants you to ride him. But you can't. Get off and let's go."

Boky didn't like the sound of that too much, so when Rayne leaned forward and grabbed his neck to brace herself so she could slip off, Boky took advantage of her position and started running, squawking as he jumped over Auron and took off down the path.

"HELP! RUNAWAY BOKY! HOW DO YOU STEAR THIS THING?!"

Auron twitched as the chocobo and unwilling rider disappeared around the corner, Rayne still screaming at the top of her lungs. He then sighed and began to run after them, "At least they're going in the right direction."


	9. Chapter Title Was Too Long

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Kidnapped by a Chocobo and Telling Stories)

When Auron had caught back up with Rayne and Boky, the chocobo had stopped and Rayne was clutching his neck with trembling fingers, panting heavily. The chocobo heard Auron approaching and turned to glare at the guardian. Rayne tried to take advantage of the bird's distraction and slide off, but when Boky felt her begin to move, he jolted forward a bit, forcing Rayne to sit back in place and hold on. Boky was quickly making it obvious that he wasn't too keen on Rayne getting off.

"Hmm, talk your bird into following me if he won't let you off. There's an agent from Rin's ahead that will help."

Rayne nodded, her face pale and her eyes wide, and waited for Auron to pass before she experimentally tapped her heels into Boky's side. The chocobo jumped forward and began to walk, though a bit grudgingly when he noticed they would be following Auron.

Rayne noticed this and laughed, a bit more relaxed now that Boky had stopped running. Auron stared back at her with a raised brow and she laughed a bit harder, "Boky doesn't seem to like you too much."

Auron rolled his eye and faced forward, "I don't often take what chocobo's think of me to heart."

When they were attacked by fiends, Rayne was forced to fight from Boky, which proved to be a bit awkward when it came to using her staff. After her third time nearly falling, she decided to stick with casting spells. Whenever Auron walked over to hand her her share of the spheres, Boky always took a snap at him, making Auron keep his distance.

Rayne was soon bored and dug out her sphere grid, deciding that since she technically wasn't walking she could work on it. She leveled up one of her few strength Nodes and noticed that she had a rather abundant amount of strength spheres. When the 'her' space was stopped near one of the groves leading off of her Grid, she decided to try and get Auron's Grid from him.

"Hey, Auron." He stopped and looked at her and she chewed her lip, "Can I see your Grid for a moment?"

He pulled it out and tossed it to her, glaring slightly when she started to use it to add on to her Grid. "I thought I told you not to do that while we're walking."

She grinned sheepishly and threw his Grid back, "Boky's doing all of the walking, and besides, I took the liberty to add my Grid to yours, so you can level up your magic. I have to say, in retaliation to a mean comment you made a while ago, your magic stat is pathetic."

"I wasn't the one who made the comment, it was Jecht."

"You probably thought it!"

He was silent. Rayne stuck her tongue out at his back and turned back to her sphere, moving her space around on the newly added Auron addition. Her strength immediately bulked up, but was still only 12. She sighed, 'This is gonna take a while.'

The fiends of the area didn't particularly like to attack with Boky present, and when they did they only went after Auron, who handled them easily. Rayne was quickly bored and dozed off, using Boky's fluffy neck as a pillow. When she woke again, Boky had stopped and Auron was shaking her leg. "We're here."

They had arrived in a small clearing occupied by several cages, a few wagons, and several people dressed in Crusader's garb. Auron walked away and spoke to a woman who was standing near a corral of chocobos and spoke to her. They glanced in her direction a few times before Auron finally led her over.

The woman walked passed him and began to look the chocobo up and down. "So, he won't let you off?" Rayne tried to slide off, but Boky jumped straight up and stopped her. The woman shook her head, "That's a 'yes'. Hmm…" She looked around the chocobo's legs for something, frowning when she straightened, "Well, it's not one of our chocobos, or anyone's for that matter."

Rayne tilted her head and looked at Boky's feet, "How can you tell?"

"All owned and tamed chocobos have a colored metal band around their right or left leg. The colors tell us whose is whose, and whether it's on the right or left tells us if it's from northern or southern Spira. This guy doesn't have a band."

Auron walked forward and looked at the woman, "So, is there anything you can do about getting her off?"

The woman shook her head and bowed, "I'm sorry, but no. This is an untamed and untrained chocobo; there is nothing I can do." She looked away and noticed something, "Sorry, but I have to get back to the corral. Good luck!"

Auron sighed and glared at the chocobo, who squawked lowly and glared back at him. Rayne sighed and dropped her head onto Boky's neck, "This isn't good."

"Well, well, well, look what the chocobo dragged in, ya?" The three looked back and saw the rest of the party approaching, Wakka laughing and shaking his head, "And I mean literally!"

Yuna walked up beside Rayne and looked up at her with questioning eyes, "Umm, why are you on a chocobo?"

Rayne sighed heavily, "Because he won't let me off."

Tidus came forward and tilted his head, "Seriously? Whoa!" He jumped back when the chocobo whirled around and snapped at him.

Rayne hung on to the birds neck for dear life and moaned, "Yes, seriously. And I don't think he likes men too much."

Lulu shook her head, "Have you spoken with the chocobo handler?"

Both Rayne and Auron nodded, the latter growling, "Apparently it isn't an owned or tamed chocobo, so there's nothing she could do."

The group devoted a few minutes to trying to figure out a solution to the problem when Rayne noticed Lucil's group and perked up. "Hey, Yuna, go over to Captain Lucil and ask to borrow Clasko." Yuna looked at Rayne questioningly, but walked over to the Chocobo Knights anyway.

The group watched as Yuna talked to the mounted woman, she and her party looking over at Rayne and Boky a few times. Lucil nodded and gestured to Clasko, who fell off of his chocobo and shakily followed Yuna back to the group.

"Ma'am," He saluted, his voice unsteady and unsure, "How can I help you?"

Rayne looked him up and down, "Clasko, isn't it?" When he nodded, she continued, "It's my understanding that you are rather well-versed when it comes to understanding chocobos, correct?"

He saluted again, "Y-yes Ma'am."

"Well, I have a task for you. Boky, here," She patted his side, and he squawked and looked up at her, "Refuses to let me dismount, and he either runs or jumps when I try to. To add to the problem, he is a trueborn, wild chocobo, and will not listen to the handler. Might you be able to think of any way of assisting me?" When she was finished, Boky turned and glared at Clasko, as if daring him to try anything.

Clasko swallowed hard and shrunk a bit under the chocobo's glare, but nodded to Rayne. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a clump of green grass. It didn't appear to be any different from the grass that could be found along the path, but when Clasko presented it to Boky, he seemed to notice a difference. The chocobo squealed and dove for the grass, but Clasko held them back and pointed to Rayne.

"First, put her down."

Boky immediately lowered himself to the ground, eyes fixed on the Knight's hands. Rayne hesitantly slid her leg over the side, but when she saw the bird wasn't moving she lowered herself to the ground and jumped away, watching with fascination as Clasko handed the grass to the chocobo.

"What did you do?" She asked, staring at Boky as he scarfed the grass.

Clasko laughed and scratched Boky's head, "Gysahl Greens. Chocobos love them, and even the untamed ones will obey if they think they'll get some."

Rayne watched Boky as he finished the Greens and looked at her, looking a bit confused. She chuckled and stroked his head, "Forget you had to let me down to get the grass?" The chocobo stood and squawked, then turned and ran away, jumping over the Crusaders block and taking off down the path.

Clasko shook his head, "Don't worry, you'll see him again."

Auron grunted and mumbled, "Great."

Rayne laughed and bowed to the Knight. "Thank you for your help, Knight Clasko. If there's any way I can repay you…"

"Oh, no!" Clasko replied, "I'm just glad I could help. If you ever run into him again, use these." He handed her several bunches of the Greens and walked back to his company, "Have a nice day!"

When he had walked away, Auron turned and nodded, "Let's go."

They discovered, however, that they weren't able to go on when they reached the Crusaders blockade, where they found Dona trying to talk her way through, "But I'm a summoner!"

"Sorry ma'am, no unauthorized personnel." The man curtly replied.

"You dare impede a summoner's pilgrimage?!" She hissed, gabbing the man's collar and pulling him down to her level.

The man gulped, answering in a pitchy voice, "Orders are orders."

Dona sneered and threw the man back, "Useless!" She turned to walk away, stopping when she found Yuna and the others staring at her. She cleared her throat and composed herself, "As you can see, not even summoners can get through. Come, Barthello, I need a nap."

Rayne watched with raised brows as the summoner stormed off, "Wow, how on Spira do the fayth find the strength to deal with her?"

"Rayne!" Yuna whispered, looking around to make sure that no one heard her guardian.

The Black Mage scoffed, "You know I'm right, sweetie."

Yuna threw her a skeptical look. "Even so…" She then walked to the block and spoke to one of the guards, coming back looking a bit melancholy a moment later. "They really won't let us through…"

The group sighed and Tidus looked up at the setting sun, "Well, it's pointless to worry about it now, right? We'll talk to them tomorrow, so let's make camp."

The others grudgingly agreed and walked to the edge of the clearing, away from the Crusaders and their supplies. When they were settled in Rayne walked over to a rock and leaned against it, closing her eyes and nodding off slightly. She heard two soft thumps beside her and opened her eyes, finding Yuna and Lulu sitting in front of her, staring at her.

Rayne groaned, "Whaddaya want?"

The younger women exchanged glances, then turned back to her and simultaneously asked, "What happened between you and Sir Auron?"

The elder guardian sighed and scratched her neck, "What makes you think anything happened?"

"Well," Lulu began, "You two were alone for two nights in a row…"

"And you yelled at him about needing to talk to him, and two nights seems like plenty of time to talk…" Yuna added.

Rayne rolled onto her side, "We talked. That's it."

"About what?" Yuna asked.

"About what we've both been doing for the past ten years."

"And…?"

Rayne sat back up and stared at Yuna, "What makes you think we talked about anything else?"

"Rayne," Lulu began slowly, "When Lord Braska and the others left you ten years ago, you were upset—"

"Upset?! Upset doesn't even begin to cover it! I was a depressed homicidal monster, and I nearly killed you two and Wakka."

Lulu and Yuna exchanged glances, Yuna quietly asking, "You remember that?"

Rayne sighed heavily and looked up, "Yeah, I remember it. I remembered it after I had another attack yesterday and nearly killed Auron." They gapped at her so she continued, "I was put in a situation that reminded me of another that happened just before they left, and I flipped. Auron was able to talk me out of it, though."

"Were you two… alright?"

The older Mage looked at the younger and laughed, "Actually, my fit was what initiated out talk."

Yuna and Lulu shook their heads, making Rayne laugh again. She never noticed that all of the boys had gathered around Auron on the other side of the camp, and were putting Auron through the same thing.



"So, Auron," Tidus began as he plopped onto the grass next to the stoic guardian, Wakka following his lead, "What… happened between you and Rayne yesterday and today?"

"Hmm, nothing."

"Well, ya must've at least talked to Lady Rayne, ya?"

"And if we did?"

Tidus groaned, "What did you talk about?!"

Auron glared at the young swordsman, "About what she did on Besaid."

Wakka tilted his head, "That's it?"

If it hadn't been out of character for him to do, Auron would have twitched, "What did you expect?"

"Well… um…" Wakka looked around, then lowered his voice, "Maybe why you left her on Besaid. She was a guardian, ya?"

Auron sighed and looked away. "We talked about that. Briefly."

"And?!"



Rayne sighed and shook her head, "I know perfectly well why I was left on Besaid. And yes, Yuna, I was really your father's guardian."

Yuna and Lulu exchanged glances, "So, if you were, why did they leave you?"

Rayne sighed again and looked at the sky, "It's best to start from the beginning, when they met me."

They two leaned forward and listened.



"You found her on the Highroad?!"

Auron nodded, "She walked in while we were in the middle of a battle, and there was a fiend behind Braska that none of us had seen. So she…"



"… so, without even thinking it through, I picked up a rock and threw it, hitting the fiend smack dab in the middle of the forehead. That was my first even contribution to a battle."

Lulu and Yuna stared at her with wide eyes, "You threw a rock at it?!"

Rayne smiled and scratched her chin, "Yeah, pretty stupid, eh?"

Yuna giggled and nodded, "What happened next?"



"When she told us her situation, Braska insisted that she travel with us to Luca, where she said her brother was. Jecht and I didn't believe it, but Braska let her come anyway."



"When we got to Luca, of course my brother wasn't there, but I managed to ditch them before they decided to pursue me further."



"Then, under… unusual circumstances, she accompanied us to Kilika."

"What circumstances?" Tidus interrupted.

Auron rolled his eye, "I'd rather not relive that. Anyway…"



"So there I was, completely and utterly drunk, and they had no choice but to take me to Luca!"

They shared a laugh before Rayne continued, "So, anyway, when I woke the next day in Kilika…"



Auron, Tidus, and Wakka glanced over to the other side of the camp, where they saw the females of the group laughing. Tidus raised a brow, "What're they talkin' about?"

The older swordsman shook his head, "Do you really want to know?"

Tidus and Wakka exchanged glances, thinking about it for a moment before they shook their heads, "No, not really." They didn't want to imagine the horrors that three females could be imagining and laughing about.

Auron nodded, "Well, the next morning, we had a slight incident…



"I finally couldn't take it anymore, so I blew up right in his face!"



"Nothing that couldn't have easily been resolved if she had been an adult about it."



"I mean, honestly, the nerve of him! Blaming me because they hadn't left for the temple. He had been blaming me for everything from the first time he had met me!"



"It really had been her fault… mainly."



"Anyway, I had a chance to show him up later."



"She then appears out of nowhere and starts fighting, leaving so many gaps in her stance she could have easily been killed by a well-placed slingshot."



"And, when the thing fell to the ground in flames and I looked at Auron, he was so thunderstruck in awe, I nearly jumped for joy right then and there."



"I couldn't believe that, even with a masterfully crafted staff like she had, she was such a terrible fighter. Her form was all over the place, her tactics were based on pure luck, and she was holding her staff all wrong."



"So, thanks to my amazing grace and skill, they allowed me to travel with them to Besaid, Braska saying that he needed to think about something. I think he had been really impressed by my performance."



"There were really only two reasons Braska even thought about taking her as a guardian; one, she had some skill that, if honed correctly, could be beneficial; and two, seeing as she had lied about her brother and probably would never find him, she was an easy target for fiends and anyone else who would try to take advantage of her."



"When Braska said that he wanted me as his guardian, he really laid it on me."



"The look on her face was hilarious."



"I was so angry I went on a fiend-killing rampage."



"It was reckless, and frankly a bit entertaining."



"… Then, in the village, I met Lulu, Wakka, and Chappu."



"She had been gone for a while, so we took a look out of the lodge and saw her talking with three teenagers."



"I guess it made me a bit… happy to talk to people in my age group. I don't know how or when, but they saw it."



"We had never seen her look so… happy and open at the same time. It got us thinking…"



"When I walked into the lodge later, they were talking…"



"She had walked in on us discussing leaving her and…"



"…I'm sorry…"



"This isn't my story to finish."



"…I'm just… not ready."



"You'll have to ask her to hear the rest."



"Remind me… when we reach Zanarkand."

"Zanarkand, eh?"

The three women turned and to see Wakka and Tidus crouching behind them. Tidus tilted his head, "So, will you tell us the rest too? When we reach Zanarkand, that is."

Rayne ground her teeth and stood, clenching her hands but calmly answering, "Yes. In Zanarkand. Goodnight." She sharply turned and walked away, leaving the others to watch her sympathetically.

Tidus tilted his head, "Ya know, we never did get our question answered. Why did they leave her?"

"She wouldn't have been able to handle the truth."

They all turned to look at Auron, Tidus asking, "What truth?"

The group looked at him, then sighed and walked to their beds, leaving poor Tidus as clueless as ever.



At the edge of camp, Kimahri shook his head. He would never understand humans.


	10. Somebody's Watching You

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Somebody's Watching You)

The next day, they still weren't allowed to cross the blockade. Auron was moody, Yuna was downhearted, Tidus was upset, Lulu was ticked, Wakka was afraid of Lulu, Kimahri was… Kimahri, and Rayne was about to brutally murder the gate guard.

"Listen here, you little worm," She hissed as she grabbed the man's collar and twisted it, effectively cutting of his air supply, making him flail and take a slight purple tint, "There is a little girl over there who is on an important pilgrimage. I don't give a flying malboro if your stupid operation is concerning the defeat of Sin, the summoners are the only way to do it, and you're preventing that. So, just move your little gate, there, and let us through, or I'll—"

"Excuse me."

Rayne spun around and fell right into a partially bare and heavily tattooed chest. Hmm, so those were Celtic lions… 'Wait a minute, bare and tattooed, that means…!'

"W.T.F.H.?!" She stumbled backwards, nearly toppling the man whose neck she still had in a collar choke-hold, but was stopped when the long-fingered half-Guado hands grabbed her shoulders and steadied her.

"Are you alright, Lady Guardian?"

She couldn't conceal a twitch as she partially bowed to the man, "Forgive me, Maester Seymour, I didn't hear you."

He laughed, a sound which made Rayne's stomach writhe uncomfortably, and replied in his creepy-oily-smooth voice, "I can understand why, you seemed to be quite preoccupied with threatening that Crusader. You're still strangling him, by the way…"

Rayne looked at the man and deadpanned when she saw that said Crusader's entire face had turned blue and was foaming slightly. She quickly let go of his collar and stepped to the side, allowing Seymour to walk forward. The man Rayne had strangled tried to talk to the maester, but all that came out were strangled gasps, so another one of the guards stepped forward and spoke.

"Maester Seymour, sir, they're expecting you at the command center."

"Hold," The half-Guado held up his hand, instantly silencing the man, "I have a request. Please allow Lady Yuna and her guardians through to the command center."

"Uh… all of them… Sir?" The man looked at Rayne nervously.

Seymour chuckled, "Yes, all of them."

"B-but…but Sir!—"

"If anything happens, I will personally take responsibility."

"Uh…" The man looked between Seymour and Rayne, then back to Seymour, then back to Rayne. This went on for a few moments, and just as Rayne was about to lash out at the man's throat the guard bowed and muttered hesitantly, "V-very well…"

Seymour nodded and turned back to Yuna, smiling eerily, "It is done."

Yuna bowed, "T-thank you!"

The maester bowed slightly, then turned to Rayne, "Lady Guardian." He then walked through the gate and continued down the path.

Rayne walked over to Yuna, who was still frozen in place, and draped an arm over her shoulders, "You alright, hun?"

The young summoner stared after the maester's entourage for a few moments, then seemed to snap out of a daze and looked at Rayne, nodding and sighing in a hoarse voice, "Yeah."

"He give you the same feeling he gives me?" Rayne asked, noticing slight green tint to Yuna's skin.

Yuna stared at her for a moment, then looked away, "I don't—"

"Hey!" They both looked up to see that the group was already waiting on the other side of the blockade. Wakka waved at them, "You commin'?"

Rayne let out a stressed haggard sigh, waving back at the ex-blitzer sharply, "In a moment, Wakka!" She then turned to her ward, "We'll talk more about this at another time. Ready?" Yuna nodded and walked beside Rayne, head lowered and eyes cast to the ground.

When they caught up with the group, Wakka frowned at them, "What were you talkin' about, eh?"

Rayne growled and glared at the orange-haired guardian, "We were discussing the effect of the entropy of the universe when it comes to the subject matter of the impeccable timing of your interruptions, Wakka."

"Eh?" They all looked at her confusedly.

She rolled her eyes and walked passed them, "High school science and literature classes really never leave you."

They stared after her, then exchanged glances. They then turned to Auron, who shrugged, "There are things about her life before Besaid that we may never understand." A collective sigh, then they walked after her.



When they arrived at the cliffs, Wakka had a conniption at the sight of Al Bhed, Crusaders, Chocobo Knights, and Al Bhed machina moving around. After speaking with several people, Rayne was beginning to get the general idea of what was going down, and she didn't like it. She walked over to Auron, cracking her knuckles.

"I don't like the feeling of this…"

He nodded and they listened when Seymour walked over and spoke, both of them glaring at the half-Guado. When he walked away, Rayne started cracking her knuckles again, growling, "I like the feeling of this even less than before. Is he really getting at what I think he's getting at?"

Auron snorted, "Probably."

Rayne stared at him, then sighed and turned away, "You know, if you know what's going on, you could at least clue me in every now and then. I figure you owe me a few explanations, anyway."

"What's wrong, don't like putting the clues together? And here I thought you liked stories."

She turned and glared at him, "If you haven't noticed, this is more than just a story, Auron. It has been to me for the past ten years. It's become personal."

He walked passed her, "Don't get in too deep. There will come a time when you'll have to wake up and realize that it's time to go home."

She stared after him, "Am I not awake now?" But she didn't receive an answer, Auron walked out of hearing range. She sighed and walked after the group.

Home… Was home really back in the world where Spira was just a game? Or was home here… in Spira… on Besaid… where she had spent the past ten years, growing both in body, age, and mind. She had never really belonged in Spira… But… after spending ten years in a foreign world, changing… did she really belong back on Earth?



Michael stared at the paused game, teeth digging into a tuna sandwich. He had been playing the game nonstop for several hours, and his stomach had finally gotten the better of him. Which was probably a good thing, seeing as he needed to digest the story line as much as he needed to digest food.

So far, what he had seen of the character 'Rayne' seemed to match his sister fairly well, save a few small details. Though this probably should have given him some measure of joy, it scared him. He had finally found his sister, but she was stuck in the game… and it was his fault. If he hadn't insisted on forcing her to play, she wouldn't be there, ten years older than she should be and battle worn.

As he played, he noticed that the game was focused on the young male character from Zanarkand, Tidus. All of the screens focused on him, he was the one narrating the story, and there wasn't a single cut-scene that he wasn't in. Well… save a few, all of which were strategically placed in the game.

And… save one other… the last cut-scene he had watched before he paused it and ate. The cut-scene the featured his sister following the party, lost in thought. …The game had played her thoughts out loud, and Michael had heard the character's doubts of belonging on Earth. That should have been the last straw, the final nail in the coffin, the deciding factor, the finishing touch, the end of the line for Michael's doubts. He figured that that was where he was supposed to believe, fully and wholly, that the character 'Rayne' was his Rayne. But he remained skeptical.

After all, his Rayne couldn't use magic. His Rayne never would have been able to do half of the things this one did. His Rayne was quiet, timid, and impulsive. His Rayne never would have been able to threaten anyone she didn't know. And, above all, his Rayne hadn't been missing for ten years. If she really had been sucked into the game, his Rayne wouldn't have existed there ten years before the actual in-game story line.

The phone rang, snapping Michael out of his daze. He stuffed the rest of the sandwich into his mouth and crawled over to the receiver, grabbing the phone and pressing the 'Talk' button as he put it to his ear.

"Hmph?"

"Ugh! Michael, honey, that is so gross! Swallow before you speak!"

Michael coughed and swallowed, smiling as he brought the phone back to his mouth and rasped, "Hey, Heather. How are you?"

He could hear her smile back as she laughed and replied, "I'm great. So, what're you doing? Everyone's going to the movies to see that new horror flick, and I was wondering if you wanted to come?"

Michael's eyes flicked to the TV and he reluctantly said, "Sorry, babe, I can't. I've got… something important going on."

Hearing his tone, Heather quietly asked, "Mike, is something wrong? You haven't been out a lot lately, and I'm a bit worried."

Michael pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, "I'm sorry, Heather. It's just… there's a lot going on right now, and—"

"Is this about the… well… the 'Rayne' thing?"

He scrunched his face and hit his head with his fist. When he had begun his search for anyone who remembered his sister, Heather had been one of the first ones he had asked. Heather and his sister hadn't exactly been the best of friends, but they had been around each other a long time, so he figured that if anyone would remember, she would. Of course, she hadn't, and she had been worried about him ever since.

"Mike? Michael?"

Michael shook his head and said in a falsely cheery tone, "No, Heath, this has nothing to do with the 'Rayne' thing. I've just got a lot of work right now, for school and for Dad, and I have to have it done before he gets back."

He heard her sigh, "Alright, Michael."

He flinched at her dejected tone and quickly said, "But I promise, as soon as I get a bit ahead, I'll spend time with you. Just you and me, none of the guys or the girls. We'll go see a movie, or I'll take you to a nice restaurant. You've heard of that new place, Le Chateau, right?"

She sighed again, though this time it was a bit lighter, and she laughed slightly, "Alright, Mike, alright. Go back to whatever you're doing, and I'll let you get your work done. I will hold you to your promise, though!"

He laughed at her 'threatening' tone and replied, "Don't worry, babe, I'll keep my promise. Bye."

"Bye." Dial tone.

Michael stared at the phone and listened to the mind numbing dial tone, "Heather, Rayne was really my twin sister and I've found her. She's stuck inside of the game Final Fantasy X." Hah! Yeah, right! As if he could have told her that?! He didn't even have the balls to tell her he had blown her off to play a game; he had to lie and say he was working on stuff for his dad!

He sighed and stared at the TV screen, "Rayne, that had better be you."


	11. To The Command Center

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(To The Command Center)

"_Rayne, that had better be you."_

Rayne snapped back to reality and stumbled, suddenly extremely dizzy and plagued by the feeling that she had just spent the last eight minutes standing perfectly still. She leaned on her staff and looked at the others, who looked just as dazed and confused as she did.

Tidus clutched his stomach and kneeled on the ground, groaning, "Ugh, what just happened?"

Rayne shook her head and thought about it, the memory of her brother sitting in front of the game resurfacing, "I think we were 'Paused'…"

"Huh?"

Rayne looked at the others, who were looking at her oddly, and shook her head, "Uh… it must have been Sin. Excuse me for a moment; I suddenly have the oddest urge to do something unexplainable and irrational." She then turned to the sea, looked up and screamed, "AT LEAST WAIT UNTIL WE'RE IN A COMFORTABLE STANDING POSITION BEFORE YOU PRESS THE BLASTED 'START' BUTTON YOU IDIOT!!!!"

She could feel all eyes staring at her, but she brushed it off and turned to Clasko, "Alright, so we go this way to get to the Command Center, correct?" When the Knight nodded, Rayne turned back to her company and smiled, "Let's go!"

They nodded slowly and waited until she went into the canyon first to follow her. When the ravine started to widen out, they found a familiar face waiting.

"Eh! It's Mr. and Ms. Generosity! Great to see you two again!"

Rayne and Tidus smirked and shook their heads, "Hey, O'aka." They then looked at each other and cocked their heads, "You know him, too?"

O'aka smiled and bowed, "Well, and here I didn't know that you two were traveling together. And with a group, too!"

Rayne nodded, "We're on a pilgrimage."

"Eh? Not the Summoner's Pilgrimage, I 'ope?!" O'aka looked at them with wide eyes.

Tidus nodded, "Yep, that's us."

The merchant whistled lowly and shook his head, "Dangerous business, that is." He then grinned widely, "And I take it you and your party will need weapons and supplies, right?"

Rayne smirked and untied her Gil purse, "As long as your prices are fair and your weapons and items reliable, I, at least, will continue to buy from you."

O'aka frowned, "Hey, hey, hey! O'aka never breaks a promise, and I'm still indebted to you two, so you and yours will always find fair deals at O'aka's."

Rayne smiled and bowed, "Forgive me for doubting you, O'aka, it won't happen again. So, what do we have to look forward to on the path ahead?"

"Fire. Lots n' lots o' fire." The merchant replied.

She nodded, "Very well." She turned to the others, "Weapons with 'Icestrike', everyone. Lulu, best we get our spells ready."

The group nodded and walked forward as O'aka began to lay out his bundles, unrolling reams of canvas to reveal weapons. Yuna and Rayne walked over to the tarp holding the staffs, looking among the different designs and labels for their preferred weapons. O'aka looked at the staff on Rayne's back and, somewhat grudgingly, tapped her shoulder.

"Beggin' your pardon, mum," He began, "But your staff already has 'Icestrike'."

"Eh?" Rayne took her staff out of its sleeve and looked it over, "How can you tell? I got it in Kilika, so I figured that if anything it had 'Firestrike'."

The merchant shook his head and pointed to the gem at the top, "That there's a diamond, telltale symbol of ice."

Rayne looked at the diamond and frowned, "It used to be a ruby, but it changed when I used my 'Blizzard' overdrive. I really thought it should have changed back by now."

"Well then," O'aka said, looking the staff over, "What you've got there is a stave equivalent of 'Arc Arcana', the four element stave, or a 'Dual Rod', the two element stave, though judging by that craftsmanship, I'd bet the former."

Rayne realized that, by admitting this, O'aka had removed her necessity of new weaponry and, in retrospect, had driven away a customer. She smiled, "Thank you for the information, O'aka. Had you not told me, I might have been fooled by another merchant into buying unnecessary equipment."

O'aka smiled painfully, muttering, "No worries, mum. I am, after all, a man of my word. O'aka promised to give you the best deal, and I have."

She chuckled, "That you have. And, as thanks for the information, I'd like you to charge me the price of two regular staves with 'Thunderstrike' and 'Waterstrike', as well as whatever the price you think it would be fair to charge for information of finding the name and background of my staff."

The merchant gapped at her, "I 'eard the part about the 'Rod of Thunder' and the 'Rod of Water', but what's this about information?"

"Well," She began, "I can imagine that you must be fairly well traveled to have as wide a variety of weapons as you have, correct?" He nodded. "And, from what I've seen, all weapons have a name, especially the more powerful ones, correct?" He nodded again. "Well, then, is it so hard to imagine that my weapon, which you believe has the four elemental strikes, has a name, as well?" He shook his head, and she smiled, "Therefore, on top of charging me for the 'Thunderstrike' and 'Waterstrike' weapons, I'd like to pay you to search out similar weapons and find a suitable name for mine, if it isn't too much trouble, that is."

"Ur…well…"

"Just say yes or no, already, so we can move on." Growled an angry voice from behind Rayne.

She rolled her eyes and turned to him, "Thank you, Auron, for your assistance."

O'aka stared at Rayne wide eyed when she turned back to him, "You sure about this?" When she nodded, he broke into a wide grin and nodded, "Alright, O'aka's on the case! I'll find a good and proper name for your staff, that I will!"

This having been said, Rayne paid the merchant in full for the staves of Fire and Thunder, then moved aside and allowed the others to pay. When they had finished, they moved on, Rayne and Tidus turning to wave at the merchant one final time.

"So," Tidus drawled, "Where did you meet him?"

"The same ship you met him on, only earlier than you did."

"Ah." He was silent for a moment, but stayed by her as the others walked on. He stretched his arms behind his head, casually glancing at her. "You been watching Yuna her entire life?"

She kept her gaze focused ahead, "You want to know anything specific? Or are you going to pussyfoot around it?"

"Gah!" He stumbled back as if she had bitten him, "Jeez, no need to get angry! It was just a question!"

"I wasn't angry. I just come of as… less than conversational."

"Heh, obviously."

She turned to glare at him, "Treading on dangerous ground…"

Tidus scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Sorry, I got smart. My bad. So, um…"

Rayne sighed, "Pussyfooting…"

"What can you tell me about Yuna?"

Rayne froze and narrowed her eyes at him, "Treading on treacherous ground now, boy."

"No no, I don't mean anything by it! It's just…"

She frowned, "'Just' what?"

"Well…" He sighed, "You seem to know a lot about what goes on here. And, other than Auron, you're the only other one who completely understands and believes my situation. So I…"

Rayne shook her head and walked on, "So you have deemed me a second dealer of information and find it easier to come to me because you think I'll be more likely to answer you in a straight manner, right?"

"Right. Auron just speaks in riddles."

Rayne sighed, "He's definitely not the best narrator in the world, that's for sure…"

Tidus shook his head, "Yeah. So, about Yuna…?"

"She was born in Bevelle. Her mother was a commoner and her father was a priest. After her mother died, her father became a summoner. He left her in Bevelle and started his journey to rid the world of Sin to protect her. When he got to Besaid, he like it so much he decided he wanted Yuna to live there. When Braska fought and defeated Sin, Kimahri went to Bevelle and took Yuna to Besaid. In Besaid, Yuna became somewhat of a daughter to me, and I helped raise her. Then, when Sin came again, she decided she wanted to be a summoner. So she did, and three months later gained Valefor and began her journey. And here we are now."

Tidus stared at her and she noticed this and smirked, "Compared to Auron, I make more sense. Yet, at the same time, I'm much more vague."

"Alright then… what about Yevon?"

Rayne sighed, "Yevon had existed since Zanarkand. Sin was born there, and Yevon says that it is because of Spiran's dependence on machina and their vanity. Yevon says that until Spira has truly repented for its sins, Sin will continue to come. When Sin is born, the people go to Yevon to prey. From Yevon, the summoners are born to defeat Sin, and the people prey for their success. When Sin dies, people praise the summoners and prey to Yevon to prevent the return of Sin for as long as possible. Every time Sin comes back, Spiran's know they have not yet repented. Yet, every Calm that exists is a beacon of hope, and the people prey to Yevon that this Calm may be the last."

Tidus nodded, "Sounds like a cycle."

"That's exactly what it is. A spiral of death. But… never you mind all of that. When we reach Zanarkand, you will return home. There is little point in burdening you mind when for you, it will all soon enough be over."

"Well… what about you?"

Rayne glanced at him, "Me?"

Tidus nodded, "Yeah. You aren't from Spira either, right? So, why do you burden yourself with this?"

Rayne sighed, "I have lived to witness a Calm, and I have lived to witness Sin's effects twice. Twice I have been deemed worthy of a position as a guardian, and twice I have set foot on a pilgrimage. Though one time ended early, I plan to see this one through. I have been here longer than you have and, as your father once pointed out, there may not be a chance for me to return home."

Tidus gapped at her, "He said that?!"

Rayne nodded and looked at him, "Nevertheless, Tidus, he was one of my best friends, and an overall good man."

"Heh, yeah, right."

She sighed and was about to retaliate when she heard something behind them. "Look out!" She grabbed Tidus's arm and yanked him in front of her, a sharp pain stabbing into her back.

"Rayne!"

She ignored him and turned slowly, facing a small and agile-looking purple lizard. She frowned and turned back to Tidus, "Looks like one of your friends, kid."

He nodded and lunged at the fiend, his blade slicing through its scaly hide. Rayne dropped to her knees and watched him, but pushed herself back to her feet when several other fiends jumped out of the shadows and attacked. She pulled out her staff and slashed the throat of one, then set off a 'Blizzara' spell in the face of the other right behind the first.

At this point, the others noticed their comrade's plight and joined the battle; Yuna covering Rayne with a 'Cure' spell, Lulu joining Rayne in casting multiple 'Blizzard' and 'Blizzara' spells, and Auron and Kimahri joining Tidus in hacking and slashing whatever came their way. The battle was over a time later, and Yuna was looking at the injury on Rayne's back.

"It's deep, but small, and I already closed most of it up. There's going to be a hole in your clothes, though…"

Rayne frowned, "Great, and there are no Besaid weavers nearby. I really need to find armor."

The summoner stepped back and shook her head, "That may prove to be a challenge. Remember when you tried to use rings and bangles?"

"I shudder at the thought," Rayne muttered, "Your rings exploded and Lulu's bangles…" She shuddered, "They tried to eat me. It wasn't a fun experience."

Wakka shook his head, "I remember that, ya. Took us two days to convince the bangles that you didn't taste good, and there wasn't much left of the rings…"

Tidus started laughing and Auron turned away. Kimahri just shook his head.

Rayne pursed her lips, "Alright, so it's been established that it's pointless for me to try and use magical weapons and armors that weren't suited for me, so I'll just have to keep looking in shops for something and we'll just have to move on. I'm sure that the last thing we want to do is make Maester Seymour wait for Lady Yuna's arrival." She said this last sentence loudly and full of sarcasm, rolling her eyes for emphasis.

"Lady Rayne!" Wakka stopped when she turned to shoot a piercing gaze his way and he stuttered the rest. "W-well… um… it's just… y-you shouldn't… t-talk… a-abou…"

Auron shoved passed the stammering ex-blitzer and continued down the path, "Let's go."

As the others shoved their way passed Wakka, he was left to stare at their wake. His shoulders drooped and he sighed, "You shouldn't talk about a maester like that…"

"Wakka!"

He snapped back to reality and ran after them, "Commin', Lu!"


	12. Armor and Kaje

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Armor and Kaje)

Several battles later, the group came across Gatta and Luzzu. The two Crusaders seemed to be arguing, and the three Spiran islanders of the group felt it a bit of a familial duty to intervene, if necessary. They drew closed quietly, though taking into consideration the noise Gatta was making, stealth wasn't necessary.

"Bur, sir, I came all the way from Besaid to fight!"

Luzzu turned away and evenly replied, "Orders are orders."

Gatta clenched his hands and gritted his teeth, "But sir…!"

Luzzu turned back around to say something, but paused when he saw the group. Gatta turned as well, and the two Crusaders looked over them. When Luzzu's eyes met Rayne's, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She abruptly turned away and stared at the cliff wall as the argument continued.

'His eyes… have the look of someone who… has already accepted their fate. He knows… he knows that he won't survive. Oh, Luzzu…' She wrapped her arms around her stomach and clenched her eyes shut.

"Wakka, there may not be another chance for this; there is something I need to tell you."

"Luzzu, no!"

"Luzzu!"

Lulu and Rayne both turned to the Crusader, who refused to meet their eyes. Wakka looked between the three, slowly asking, "What's goin' on here?"

Luzzu glanced in Lulu and Rayne's directions, still refusing to look at them. "I am sorry." He then drew himself to his full height and looked squarely at Wakka. "I am the one who convinced Chappu to enlist."

Lulu gasped and Rayne turned away again, her fingers digging into her stomach. 'Damn…'

There was a moment of silence, followed by Wakka muttering several curses under his breath and the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Rayne heard Tidus shout, "That's enough, Wakka!"

Rayne turned back to see Tidus holding Wakka back, Luzzu crumpled under their feet. Wakka stumbled backwards and glared at the man, "Chappu said… Chappu said that after the game, he was gonna propose to Lulu. Then one day, just like that, he goes and becomes a Crusader, and leaves her alone."

"Chappu… Chappu also said," Luzzu gritted as he stood, "That being with your girl is good, be keeping Sin far away from her is better."

Wakka growled and turned to Lulu, "Lu, you knew?"

The Black Mage nodded and Luzzu chuckled, "She hit me, too."

The ex-blitzer then turned to Rayne, "Lady Rayne?"

Rayne didn't acknowledge him, and Luzzu sighed, "She found out about it early and tried to talk him out of it. When she couldn't, she turned one me and…"

Rayne shifted a little and spoke in a quiet voice, "And I completely pummeled the crap out of him." She turned back at glared at the Crusader, "Turning someone down a road that leads only to certain death is a great shame, but begetting someone out of wedlock is even greater, and that fool just happened to do both."

Luzzu dropped his head and was silent. A moment later, Lucil rode up and called for the Crusader to report to his post. He was just about to obey the command when Yuna ran out in front of him and held her arms out wide, "Sir Luzzu, no!"

Rayne heard Auron sigh, "Yuna, let him go. The man has already chosen his fate."

The summoner looked at her guardian with wide, entreating eyes, then lowered her head and backed away, allowing the doomed man to walk passed. When he was nearly out of earshot, Wakka ran forward and called out to him, "Hey, you better not die out there, you hear?!"

Luzzu turned back and chuckled grimly, "So you can hit me more?"

Wakka nodded and raised his arm, "Lots, lots more!"

The Crusader chuckled again, then turned and walked onto the lift, disappearing a moment later as the platform raised out of sight. Rayne watched him go with eyes filled with sorrow, her fingers still digging into her stomach.

"Rayne…"

She looked down at Yuna, who was looking up at her with grief-stricken eyes, "Will you still cry for me?"

Rayne closed her eyes and wrapped one arm around the young girl, "Always, hun, but not right now. Something tells me that there will be many more to cry for when this whole operation is over."

Yuna nodded and hugged her guardian, face pale. They stood like this for a moment before Tidus softly called out, "It's time."

They turned to him to find the whole group watching them, similar expressions on their faces. Yuna sighed and wiggled out of Rayne's grasp, walking to head the group. She paused briefly to turn and nod to her guardians, who nodded back and set off after her, Rayne trailing in the back.

'The eyes of one whom as acknowledged and succumbed to their fate before they have met it. How many more such eyes will we have to see before the end of this operation and before the end of the pilgrimage? Will Yuna's eyes ever look like that? Tidus's? Wakka's? Lulu's? Kimahri's? Auron's? ...Mine?'



When the group stepped off of the lift, they were met with the sight of miles upon miles of machina weaponry. Great cannons and guns were nestled into the shelves of the rocky cliffs, lattice networks of stairs and ladders connecting all routes. Al Bhed and Crusaders alike were walking among the paths above, and below on the thin strip of beach the Chocobo Knights were falling into their formations, swords and lances glittering in the overcast light.

Wakka glared at all of this and walked over to the edge, head swerving back and forth. He growled and glared at the closest cannon, "Stupid machina weapon!" He kicked it, froze, and then fell backwards clutching his foot and howling in pain.

Rayne shook her head and followed Yuna as she walked on, the young summoner seemingly oblivious to her guardian's pain. The young summoner looked around her in horror, multicolored eyes scanning over people and objects in fascination and fear. Rayne could understand her reaction; how had so many been amassed for this occasion? How long had this effort been advertised? How long had Yevon been apart of this?

They soon arrived at a blanketed wall, where they found Gatta posted sentinel. He saluted and grumbled lowly, "The operation is about to start. Please, take your places."

Tidus walked up to the disgruntled young man, "You still upset?"

"Of course!" Gatta shouted, spreading his feet and clenching his hands, "This is what I have been looking forward to for as long as I have been a Crusader, and they put me here! I want to show all of them, and Luzzu, that I can fight!"

"If you want to prove yourself, you must first complete the tasks you are given." Auron said, stepping forward to look Gatta in the eye.

The young Crusader grumbled and resumed stood back at attention, resentment and anger still evident in his eyes.

When the party had walked off, Rayne stepped up to Gatta and whispered in his ear, "Gatta, even if you don't understand now, know this; where you are is probably the best position for you. It is true that you have a duty here, but until you straighten yourself out, this position is no more than you deserve. Besides, Luzzu is only thinking of your protection, and deserves more than your anger."

She then walked through the entrance, leaving Gatta brooding. On the other side, she ran into a horrific sight that froze her. Auron. Being hugged. By another man. A really fat man. A really fat, bald, pale man. Auron didn't like he was enjoying himself look too much, but he made no move to remove the man.

When the man pulled himself away from Auron, he looked him up and down, "Auron, good to see you. Ten years now, isn't it?"

Auron chuckled, "Kinoc. I see time has changed you."

Rayne shook her head and heard Lulu mumbling something to Tidus, so she inched her way over and listened. "Wen Kinoc, a maester of Yevon."

'Gah!' Rayne frowned and stepped back. 'More masters. They're everywhere! Then again, I suppose I should expect no less from disciples of Yevon.' She then tuned back into Auron and Kinoc's conversation. She listened for a few moments before she backed away, shock and disgust evident on her face. Auron was turning away from Kinoc when he noticed her and walked over.

"Rayne?"

She growled and backed away, "I really need a walk right now, before I bash that man's teeth down his throat."

Auron nodded and let her walk away, watching silently as her hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly. On the other side of the blanket wall, Rayne saw O'aka standing in the shadows, talking to a soldier. She walked over to him just as the soldier walked off, several Potions in his hands but a scowl on his face. She turned back to the merchant, "O'aka, are you taking advantage of this?"

The merchant looked up and grinned at her, shoving Gil into his purse, "You bet I am. These 'Operation Mi'ihen' prices are going to make me a fortune!"

Rayne narrowed her eyes, but quickly shook off her anger. 'It's useless to get frustrated with him, he has no clue.' "Listen, could I have another look at your wares?"

O'aka nodded, a puzzled expression on his face, "Sure, but whatever for?"

She looked at several bulky bundles behind him, "Armor."

He nodded and took the bulky bundles off of his back, rolling them out onto the ground, "What kind?"

Rayne crouched, "Magic type, but not rings or bangles. They don't tend to like me much."

He nodded, "Alright, I got several other types here, but I suppose it really depends on how they react to you." He laid out several bunches of necklaces, a few piles of circlets, some belts, and a couple of corset-looking breastplates. Rayne looked at the corsets and raised a brow.

"You serious about these?"

The merchant looked at what she was pointing to and nodded, "Yeah, those're really old. Them types ain't been in much use since a thousand years ago in the Holy City, but there are still a few makers, though they're really more collectables than actual armor. I carry a few around, though, just in case."

Rayne nodded skeptically and reached for the necklaces, not prepared for what was to happen next. When her hand was only two inches away, the necklaces gained lives of their own and leaped at her, chains of various colors and thicknesses wrapping around her wrist. Then, several charm bearing necklaces slithered up her arm and began to tear into her skin, blood running down her arm. Rayne yelped and began yanking the chains off of her arms, vaguely noticing O'aka's hands joining in to help tear them away.

When they had all been removed, Rayne took a Potion and rubbed it all up and down her arm, "Alright, so we know that necklaces aren't the way to go." When her wounds had faded, she looked reluctantly at a pile of circlets. "Well, here goes nothing."

She reached out and picked up a simple silver band. The metal was cool, and none of the other circlets reacted. She heard O'aka breath a sigh relief ("So far, so good, then"), but she ignored him and set the circlet on her head. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the metal constricted sharply to grip her head and began to burn her scalp. Her hands flew to her head to rip the diadem off, the smell of burning flesh invading her senses. A few moments later, the circlet fell back onto the canvas, its red hue quickly fading back to silver.

Rayne sighed and pulled out another Potion, wincing as she rubbed the gooey liquid onto her crispy and flaking forehead and hands. "Well, at least it spared my hair."

Before she could touch the belts, O'aka's hand stopped hers and she met his worried eyes, "You sure you want to keep doin' this?"

She snorted and brushed him off, "Any injures these give me can easily be repaired by a Potion. Besides, I'm already halfway through, and either the belts or the breastplates are bound to work." 'Though I do hope it's the former…'

She had no such luck, though, for when she reached out for an ornately decorated leather belt, it coiled back and arched like a snake, the metal buckle facing her and the thin metal latch flickering like a tongue. She pulled back slowly, then quickly as the belt struck at her. When the belt was sure that she wasn't going to make any further attempts to grab it, it fell limp and returned to its simple belt appearance. 'I am so glad that shopping back home was never this bad, or I would have been scarred early on in life.'

The corsets being the only armor left, Rayne looked at them with disdain. "You have got to be kidding me."

O'aka chuckled sympathetically, "Sorry, love, but that's it. It's either the plates, or some other armor O'aka hasn't gotten, and that's not possible."

Rayne sighed and reached out for one of the corset-like apparatus, half praying for it to explode on contact. She was surprised to find it make of thick, hardened leather. "How do you wear these?"

"Um… I think you just put it on over your normal clothes, like an over shirt or a vest."

"Problem with your theory, O'aka," She held the armor in his face, "This has no shoulder straps."

He chuckled nervously, "Well, when all of the laces are done, it really should hold itself in place."

Rayne groaned and stood, "Help me with it, then." She took off her jacket and held the front of the armor to her chest, turning to allow O'aka a chance at the cords. She felt his fingers work deftly at them, lacing them through the holes and pulling tightly as he went. "Get it too tight, merchant, and it'll be your fingers."

He chuckled and worked on, making sure to leave a bit of slack. When he was done, Rayne found herself wearing a tan leather breastplate with accented beige outlining. It was long enough to cover the mesh of her dark blue shirt, but left her bags hanging free in easy access. It was slimming to her waist and broadened a bit at the bust, holding her shirt tight against her skin on her upper chest. Rayne was still praying that it would have a violent reaction.

Five minutes later, Rayne reluctantly paid O'aka for the armor and shrugged her jacket back on, using the zipper for the first time, ever. She grumbled her thanks and walked away, deciding to meander among the machina while her mind turned to more pressing matters.

'Alright, so the only reason Yevon is supporting this operation is so a large number of non-Yevonites will be eliminated. Damn, I knew Yevon was screwed up, but this?... This is monstrous. And Kinoc and Seymour both looked so… pleased at thinking about all of those deaths. Like two kids watching a one-sided game of dodge ball from the sideline. It's sick…'

She didn't notice that she was clenching and unclenching her hands until she felt something drip off of her fingers and looked down, watching as her blood soaked into the sand. 'If only that were the only blood that need be shed this day. …Where are my gloves?' She dug her gloves out of a pouch, not bothering to heal her hands as she pulled the cloth over her bleeding skin.

She was about to zone out again when something tugged hard on her braid. Thinking she had gotten it caught on a cannon or a rock, she was shocked when she turned and found a young teenage boy, kneeling and clutching her braid. She could tell from his dress that he was Al Bhed; he was wearing the basic Al Bhed jumpsuit and goggles, and his hair went down to his ears. She wasn't sure how to handle the situation. 'What's the point of yelling at him if he probably can't understand me?'

He pulled on her braid again and she knelt frowning. The boy then held her braid in front of her face and pointed at it, grunting. Rayne quirked a brow, "Yes, that is my hair. You're pulling it, and it hurts. Please give it back." She spoke slowly, hoping he would understand.

The boy grunted and pointed at her braid again, shoving it further into her face and forcing her look at it more closely. She then noticed he was pointing at her beads. 'Rikku's beads. The beads of an Al Bhed. Rin recognized them, too.'

She took the braid from his hand and pointed to the beads, "Al Bhed."

The boy grunted and nodded.

Rayne pointed to the braid again and said, "Rikku."

The boy balked a bit and muttered, "Rikku?"

She nodded, "Rikku…" She paused and leafed around through her Al Bhed, trying to remember a few words. "Rikku… ec so…vneaht. Gah, is that even right?!" She screamed at the sky.

The boy snapped her out of it by grabbing her shoulders and giving her a brief hug. "Vneaht uv dra Al Bhed. Vneaht uv dra Al Bhed."

Rayne was a bit shocked, but she hugged the boy back and silently translated what he had said. ''Friend of the Al Bhed.' I guess they need all of the friends they can get…'

After a moment, the boy let her go and began to speak in, surprisingly enough, broken Spiran, "Listen. Tell… Rikku… that… Kaje… s-said he… sents his… muja. Please?"

Rayne smiled and nodded, "Yes, Kaje, I will."

"Rayne!" They both turned to see Auron standing close by, "Let's go, the operation is about to begin."

Rayne nodded and turned back Kaje, hugging him briefly, "Goodbye, Kaje."

"Rana," He handed her three purple pamphlets, "Al Bhed primers." He then hugged her, whispering into her ear, "Bnao vun sa."

Rayne stood and backed away, watching as the young boy walked back to his cannon, sitting in his seat and looking over the leavers. After a brief moment, Rayne turned and walked to Auron.

"You alright?"

She looked at him, not bothering to hide the tears that were glistening in her eyes, "Yevon will pay for this."

Auron nodded, his eye steely, "That they will."

Rayne looked around her, eyes passing over all of the people and equipment one final time. She then set her eyes forward and glared at the Command Center, "Let's get this over with."


	13. Operation Mi'ihen

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Operation Mi'ihen)

FV

GK

HR

Rayne's eyes glanced over the three primers quickly before she touched the compile sphere and the back of her head tingled, the words permanently engraved into her memory. She then touched the save point, letting the cooling sensation spread through her body. She sighed.

"You ready?"

She glanced at Auron, "Yeah. Let's go."

Once they were on the other side of the blanket wall, Rayne walked over to Tidus and handed him the primers, "Read them later."

He accepted them and nodded, shoving them into one of his pockets. He then walked over to the sentry standing at the base of the maester's platform and nodded. The guard turned to the maesters and said a few words. Seymour nodded to Kinoc, and Kinoc turned to the men on the ledge below. "Ready!"

Rumbling and grinding, then several fiends were being pushed into a large cage below. Tidus stumbled and fell against Rayne, "What's going on?!"

Rayne pushed him off and looked at the fiends, "Sinspawn, it looks like."

Lulu walked up to them, "Yes, they are planning in using the Sinspawn to lure Sin here."

The sentinel nodded, "Sin always returns for its Spawn."

When the men below began to prod the fiends with electric sticks, Tidus raised a brow, "And the shocky prods are for…?" The resounding screech a moment later answered his question, as well as forced him to cover his ears.

Kinoc turned and grinned, seemingly unperturbed by the cries of the fiends, "We are making them call out to Sin. Just in case—"

"You won't have to." They all turned to Auron, who was looking out at the ocean and shaking his head, "It'll come."

There was a loud crash, and they all turned back to the ledge. The cage was broken and the Sinspawn were gone. Rayne took a step closer to the edge and looked down, sharply pulling back a second later, "Everyone, get back!"

A giant scorpion-fiend crawled over the ledge right after her warning, scuttling onto the edge and leering at everyone it saw, it's various maws dripping acidic saliva. It reached out and grabbed the sentinel with its clawed arm, shoving him screaming into its mouth.

Rayne shuddered, but didn't turn away. Instead, she turned to the remaining sentinels and the two maesters, who seemed to be rooted on the spot. "Move!" They turned to her, but she ignored the maesters and kept her eyes focused on the sentinels, "Unless you want to end up like that guy, move, damn it!"

They nodded and ran, leaving Rayne to turn back to the fiend, which now had its beady eyes on her. It stepped forward and glared at her, opening its maw and roaring at her, its razor teeth only inches from her face. Rayne quirked a brow when it had backed off, "You tryin' to start somethin'?"

As though it could understand her, the fiends beady eyes rolled and it lunged at her.

"Thundara!"

As the fiend reeled backwards, Rayne turned and grinned at Lulu, "Thanks!" Lulu nodded and stepped out of the way as Wakka came up behind her and threw his blitzball at the buggy fiend at the top.

"Look out, that thing was watchin' you!"

Rayne nodded and turned back to the fiend, backing away so she could stand with her comrades. She looked at the buggy fiend at the top and narrowed her eyes; Wakka was right, the thing was watching her every move. When it noticed that she had seen it, the buggy fiend twitched and the head began to move.

"Thundara!" Rayne's spell was dead on and the head stopped moving. "Guys, don't let that head move for too long, I've got a bad feeling about it!"

She then jumped out of the way and let Kimahri attack the main body. The Ronso's weapon, though, did little damage when the huge arms closed and shielded the fiend's body.

Auron ran forward and attacked the arms. "Kill the arms, then go for the body!"

While Tidus, Kimahri and Auron hacked and slashed away at the arms, Lulu, Wakka and Rayne worked on the head, though half of Rayne's mind was also occupied with protecting Yuna, who was throwing items and spells when need be. When the arms broke down into pyreflies, Rayne switched to attacking the main body. Lulu and Wakka joined her a moment later, and the head was forgotten.

No one saw the head start to move until it was too late. "Yuna, look out!" The head shook and shot a purple spine at her, grazing her arm. She appeared to be fine, but then thick green tendrils worked and spread under her skin and she dropped to her knees, slowly sinking into a lying position on the ground.

"Yuna!!!" When she didn't move, Rayne ran over to her and stood over her, her staff now out and raised and the air around her crackling dangerously. She glared at the fiend, "Come, Gui, and I'll show you how real battle is done." Her tone was low and growling, leaving Lulu, Wakka, and Auron with no doubt that she was loosing it.

When the fiend jumped at her, Rayne slowly lifted her staff higher into the air, then slashed it down violently and growled, "Pain."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the fiend shuddered and fell onto its side, its body writhing and its maw opened in a screech.

"Rayne, stop!"

But she didn't take Auron's warning and waved her staff again, shouting, "Blizzaga!"

The fiend howled again as its body and blood froze, the icy spikes in its veins tearing away at the veins. Rayne grinned and cocked her head, her eyes icy as they once had been, "What's wrong, Gui? Not a bit fan of the cold? Then here, allow me to warm you up!" Her staff slashed through the air, "Firaga!"

She was watching with sick pleasure as the fiends body burned when she vaguely heard someone shout, "Lady Rayne, snap out of it!" She fell to the ground when something struck her in the head. A spinning blue and white object caught her eye, and she looked to see a blitzball next to her.

"Lady Rayne?!" She looked up as Wakka ran up to her and dropped to the ground beside her, "You awake?"

Rayne nodded, then shook her head, "Yuna." She crawled over to the summoner, who was rapidly turning green and was gasping for air. Rayne pulled her arm into her sleeve and reached for her bags, hand emerging a moment later with a bundle of feathers with a red vial, purple vial and a green vial.

"Wakka, get back to the others. I'll take care of her." The ex-blitzer nodded and ran back, hurling his ball at the fiend, which was back on its feet. Rayne set Yuna's head on her lap and laid a feather on her neck, rubbing some of the red liquid on it. When the golden light faded, the green tint of poison was still present. 'That was some strong poison.'

Rayne opened Yuna's mouth, pouring some of the Antidote down the summoner's throat then rubbing some of it on her now sickly purple arm. As the green tint began to vanish, she then poured the Potion on her wound and down her throat, muttering, "Come on, Yuna. Wake up."

The young summoner's skin returned to its normal peach-colored state, the wound on her arm healed, and her eyes began to move under her lids. When her breathing had steadied, Yuna's eyes flickered open and she looked at the sky.

"Yuna?"

She looked at Rayne and smiled, "Thank you."

Rayne nodded and helped her to her feet, "Let's go, the others need us."

Yuna turned to the group to find them still fighting the fiend, "Get back!"

The group turned to her and nodded, seeing her stave out and already spinning. Yuna summoned Ifrit, who immediately began pounding the fiend. After a bit, Ifrit flashed red and Yuna shouted, "Hellfire!"

Ifrit nodded and turned to the Gui, launching into the air and throwing two fireballs at it. The balls exploded beneath the fiend and it shot into the air, up higher than Ifrit. Ifrit shot a fireball out of his mouth at hit the fiend, then landed on the ground and tore a piece of rock off of the cliff, throwing it at the still airborne fiend. The Gui then fell to the ground and hit headfirst, a massive amount of damage being dealt.

The Gui, though, wasn't done, and it stood on its feet and growled, a black vortex opening above Ifrit.

Rayne gasped, "A Demi!"

Ifrit braced himself on the ground and took the attack, howling as it dug into his back. Yuna covered her mouth to hold back a cry, "Ifrit, that's enough!" The aeon looked at her with apologetic eyes, then leapt away and dissipated in a ball of fire.

Beside Rayne, Auron flashed red. Rayne looked at him as he walked forward, his sword raised, "Yuna, get back."

The summoner nodded and ran back as the guardian hefted his katana onto his shoulder and walked to stand before the fiend. He glared at it and growled, "Dragon Fang." Auron leapt into the air and used his weight to push the blade into the ground, red energy shooting down the blade and across the ground, traveling up the Gui and exploding at various points over the fiend's body.

The Gui howled and threw its arm forward, slugging Auron. He flew backward and slammed into Rayne, both of them flying into the rock wall. Rayne's vision flashed red and she growled from beneath Auron, "This Gui is starting to tick me off."

Auron coughed and pushed himself off of her, pulling her up with him, "Then do something about it."

There was a flash of static electricity between them, causing Rayne to smirk, "Time for a bit of 'Thunder'." She picked up her staff and walked forward, the gem flashing and turning into citrine.

As the Gui turned to face her, Rayne held the staff out to her side and began to spin it with one hand, small curls of electricity running down the pole and onto the ground. She then threw the staff into the air, a bolt of lightning shooting out of the overcast sky and striking it. The staff fell straight down and Rayne casually caught it, holding it in front of her like a sword.

"Static WhipLash!"

She spun around once and sliced at the fiend horizontally, a filament of lightning snaking out of the citrine stone and wrapping around the fiend, electrocuting it. Rayne smirked, "Bye bye, Gui." She yanked her staff back, breaking the electric whip from the stone. The remains of the whip that were in contact with the fiend glowed brightly and exploded, leaving the fiend twitching and writhing. Tidus jumped forward and sunk his sword into the fiends head, abruptly ending its movement.

As the Gui slumped to the ground, the view of the ocean behind it was cleared, and everyone could see the tendrils of black snaking into the bay. Shouts rang through the canyon and cannons were charged, their mechanical whirring filling the air.

The waves of the ocean burst and Sin shot into the air, its head reared and its low moaning roar filling the air. The cannons shot at Sin, most of them hitting, but instead of marring Sin's hide, waterborne fiends dropped into the waves and head for the shore. From below, Rayne heard Lucil shouting orders to her Knights. When the fiends reached the shores, Lucil shouted the charge, and the Knights ran forward.

Rayne couldn't stand it. She ran forward and began to cast spell after spell, her 'Thunder' electrifying the water and striking groups of the fiends at a time. She heard the others calling to her to stop, but she didn't listen; she couldn't. 'I WILL DO SOMETHING!' Spell after spell hit the waters, and she never saw Sin raise its shield, a purple pulsating energy that surrounded and spread across the waters surface.

The air around Rayne crackled again and she could feel the magic rising in her, but this time she was conscious of it, and she embraced it, all high-power spells now open to her. She lifted her head to face Sin and started throwing spells at it, most of them ricocheting off of the shield and killing the fiends in the water. The shield pulsed and shot forward; Rayne felt hands trying to pull her back, but she wouldn't relent.

"Cur etiam hic es?!"

"_Why are you still here?!_

She heard her voice scream. She felt her lungs tearing. She couldn't understand how she knew what she was saying, or if Sin even understood her. But Sin understood her.

She watched as Sin's energy tore through all of the people below her, a deep and echoing voice calling back to her, "Meus animus mos non sileo."

_"My soul will not rest."_

So many people… dead. "Quare es vos amo is?!"

_"Why are you like this?!"_

The voice, the voice of Sin, rumbled, "Is eram necesse."

_"It was unavoidable."_

The air around her burned; only the cool and wispy touch of the passing pyreflies was of solace. She had no answer to Sin, no retaliation.

"Quisnam es vos?" Sin asked the question of her, but not about her.

"_Who are you?"_

He was talking about all of them. She called, "Nos es Tutela of salutor of Voco."

_"We are the Guardians of the callers of the Summon."_

The energy shield paused and, for but a moment, she could feel Jecht. She heard his voice call back, "Eram quo des, eris quod sum."

_"I was what you are, you will be what I am."_

She shook her head, "Non. Quis operor EGO operor? Quis operor nos operor?"

_"No. What do I do? What do we do?"_

The feeling of Jecht was fading fast, and before it left completely, he called out to her, an image of Tidus flashing through her mind, "Solvo mihi. Iuguolo mihi."

_"Free me. Kill me."_

His presence faded, and Rayne was left alone. She hadn't noticed it, but the air around her had become hazy. As she shook her head, the haze cleared. What was left was destruction. She had snapped back to reality just in time to see the tower destroyed and Sin fall into the waves. Tidus went after him. Yuna went to summon.

Rayne vaguely heard Seymour call to Yuna to stop, but Rayne didn't care. She just dropped to her knees and looked around her. So many dead… So many lost… And Jecht… "Solvo mihi…" 'Free me…' "Iuguolo mihi…" 'Kill me…'

She heard Seymour call to Yuna again, and then it hit her. This was his fault. He had approved this to rid himself of opposition. 'He will pay.' Breathing steadily, Rayne rose to her feet and grabbed her staff, slowly walking up behind the maester. He was so unprotected, so open. He was distracted by the return of the Gui, as were Yuna and Auron, but she wasn't paying attention to them. Just a single well placed hit or spell, and it would be over. Spira would be spared one more corrupt ruler. The Gui fell again, and Rayne began to raise her staff. She just had to get close and…

"Don't." She saw the gloved hand grab hers and pull her aside, into a hidden crevice. Auron pinned her to the wall and loomed over her, "Stop." She set her forehead on his chest and bit her lip. He continued talking. "Even if you had, it wouldn't have made much of a difference, overall. Yevon and all of its teachings would still be, and there would still be corruption. They simply would have replaced him."

Rayne trembled and dropped her staff, clutching Auron's coat and murmuring into his chest, "I heard him. I heard Jecht. He really is in that thing, isn't he?"

Auron sighed and embraced her, "Yes. Somewhere in there is the man once known as Jecht."

She was silent for a moment, she then murmured, "You have to tell him that he wants us… wants him to kill him." Rayne looked up at Auron with pleading eyes. "Please, Auron, you have to tell Tidus. I would, but I…" She looked down.

She felt him nod, "I will. I will go to him, but you go to Yuna."

As he walked away, a thought struck Rayne, "You meant for me to watch her, didn't you?"

Auron paused, glancing over his shoulder, "Did you ever read the letter?"

"No." She looked back down, "I only watched the sphere."

There was a pause, followed by him chuckling, "Funny. You said you hated things that weren't written, but when left a letter and a video, you chose to watch the video."

Rayne shook her head and smirked, "I know. Ironic, isn't it?"

He chuckled and walked to Tidus, who was lying on the beach. Rayne walked to Yuna, but stood a ways away, watching her perform the sending. After a moment, Rayne walked over to an overhang and sat beneath it, making sure that she was well in the shadows before breaking down.

As she cried, she thought about what she had promised. 'Don't worry, baby, I'll cry for you.' She had promised that in Kilika, and now she upheld it. People died, Yuna danced; Yuna didn't cry, Rayne sat in the shadows and cried. To Rayne, it seemed appropriate. It was Yuna, after all, that had the heaviest burden to bear. If this was all Rayne could to for her, then so be it.

After a bit, Rayne crawled out of her hole and walked over to Yuna, who was now being spoken to by Seymour.

"…pillar of strength, like Lady Yunalesca had her Lord Zaon."

Rayne frowned at Seymour's closeness, "I find that to be a bit presumptuous, Lord Seymour." The maester backed away abruptly and glared at Rayne as she stood beside Yuna and placed her arm on her shoulders, "Yuna chose us as her guardians because she knew she could depend on us. If there are to be any 'pillars of strength', it should come from those whom she is closest to, and those whom are around her the most, rather than those she just met, don't you agree?"

Seymour scowled, "Strength doesn't have to be drawn from those you grew up with, Lady Rayne. Strength can be drawn from those who support, as well."

"Yeah, well," Rayne shook her head and placed a hand on her hip, "Longevity of closeness helps. Brings less pain, too."

The half-Guado stood rigid and smiled eerily, "I can see why Lady Yuna chose you as a guardian; you take no chances."

Rayne smirked, her eyes flashing icy blue, "I'm also hard to take down."

Seymour's eyes flashed back and his smile faltered, "Indeed." He then turned and bowed to Yuna, "Lady Yuna, please think about what I have said."

Yuna bowed, "Your Grace." When he walked away, Yuna turned to Rayne, "Was that… really necessary?"

Rayne scoffed and took her arm off of her charge, "And here I thought you'd be thanking me. I mean, come on, did you really want that guy," She leaned in so her nose was touching Yuna's, "This close to your face?"

Yuna giggled, though it was strained, and pushed Rayne away, "Alright, alright. He wasn't that close, but thank you."

Rayne chuckled. She then saw Tidus walking over, so she quickly said, "I have to go. I see a lifesaving orb that is just screaming my name. Toodles!" She then turned and power walked away, giving the two their 'alone time'. She had, though, been serious about going to the save point, so she walked over to it and leaned on it heavily, listening as Auron berated Kinoc.

"A swift retreat. Satisfied?"

"What are you talking about?"

Not caring to listen further, she slumped onto the ground and closed her eyes, still leaning against the orb. 'If I keep listening, I just may be tempted to kill the bastard, and that wouldn't make Auron too happy.' The maester soon walked away, leaving behind a still fuming Auron.

Auron saw Rayne and walked over to her, leaning against the other side of the orb and watching her mutter to herself. "What are you saying?"

Without so much as a glance at him, Rayne said, "'Solvo mihi. Iuguolo mihi.' What language is that?"

"Is that the same language you were screaming in earlier?"

She nodded, still not opening her eyes, "Yeah. I don't remember what language it is or how I know it, but I was speaking it fluently, and Sin was answering in it fluently. I understood it, too."

He looked at the ocean, "'Solvo mihi. Iuguolo mihi.' What does that mean?"

Rayne sighed, "It means: 'Free me. Kill me.' It's… what Jecht said to me. At the same time, I saw an image of Tidus."

Auron grunted and was silent. He then muttered, "I told him. He knows what he has to do. He doesn't accept it… now, but he will in time. It might help if you tell him what transpired between you and Sin, on the cliff."

Knowing that this was as close as he was going to get to begging her, Rayne nodded, "I will."


	14. Aftermath and Djose

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Aftermath and Djose)

As they began to walk down the Mushroom Road, Rayne saw a familiar face. "Kaje!" He was lying among several other badly injured soldiers, several Yevon healers working quickly to try and save their lives. He twitched when he heard his name.

She ran over to him and knelt beside him, ignoring the protests of the healers, "Kaje, please!"

The teen coughed, a bit of bloody saliva foaming on his lips, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Vneaht?"

Tearing slightly, Rayne nodded and ran her hand down his face, "Yes, Kaje, I'm here."

Kaje smiled slightly and rasped, "Tell… Rikku…"

"Shh." Rayne whispered, closing his mouth with her hand, "Don't talk. Yes, I remember. Tell Rikku that you send your muja. Now, stop and relax. You need to be healed."

He shook his head and beckoned her closer, whispering when she was close, "Pray for me, my vneaht. Bnao vun sa."

Her jaw trembling, Rayne grasped his hand and held it to face. "I will, my vneaht. I promise to pray for you."

Kaje smiled, took one last shuddering breath, and quietly passed. Rayne sat frozen as Yuna quietly performed the sending, Kaje's pyreflies rising slowly into the air. When it was over, Rayne stood and muttered, "Let's go."

They had been walking for a bit before Wakka stepped in front of her, "What you doin' talkin' to the Al Bhed?"

Rayne sighed, "I met him a few minutes before the operation. I happened to know someone he knew, so he asked me to deliver a message. Please, Wakka, not now—"

"No," He curtly replied, "I think now is a good time. You delivering the message to another Al Bhed? You in league with them?!"

Quicker than any of them could see, Rayne snapped forward to stand in front of Wakka, drawn to her full height and glaring at him with pure anger, "Wakka, if after ten years you can honestly tell me that, even if I were in league with the Al Bhed, you would cease to be my friend and always look at me with contempt, then your situation is more pathetic than I believed, and you're a bigger ass than I thought you could ever be. Now, please, Not Now."

She whipped passed him and continued storming down the path. She barely heard him stutter behind her, "B-but… but I thought…"

"That's your fucking problem, Wakka." She shouted, not bothering to turn around. "You Never Fucking Think!"

A few moments later, two giant albino serpents with legs and arms attacked Rayne and, without bothering to wait for the others, she pulled out her staff and began attacking. Even as she fought, she saw out of her peripheral vision blades and magic joining her. She saw a familiar staff beside her, and saw the serpent/lizard leap at Yuna.

Rayne casually stepped in front of Yuna at took the attack in the gut, and Kimahri shot passed her and stabbed the serpent in the head, the fiend dissolving into pyreflies. He then turned back, "Rayne hurt."

Yuna grabbed her shoulders and spun her around, looking at her stomach, "Where did it hit you?!"

"Oh, right where you're looking." Rayne remarked nonchalantly.

The summoner looked up at her, "Then how…?"

Rolling her neck, Rayne glanced at the rest of the company, "I'd rather not say in front of so many people. It's a tad embarrassing."

Yuna frowned, "Wha?"

Sighing, Rayne unzipped her jacket a bit and pulled it aside, revealing the corset/breastplate armor. "New armor. Not very flattering new armor, at that."

Yuna choked back a laugh, "Oh, my!" She then looked at Rayne and smiled innocently, "I think it's very flattering."

Rayne zipped her jacket back up and growled, "I don't."

As her guardian walked away, Yuna turned back to the group and laughed silently, earning confused looks from everyone. Yuna beckoned Lulu over and whispered into her ear, at which Lulu actually burst into laughter, earning confused and worried glances from the others. Yuna and Lulu noticed this and waved them off, Yuna quickly sputtering, "Girl thing" before she broke down into giggles.

Tidus, who (as we all know [or can at least imagine) tends to ask stupid questions when genuinely confused, turned to Auron and asked, "What, did you leave a hickey on Rayne or something?"

Everyone froze at this, even Rayne, who was nearly two blocks (measurement, only) away at the time. She was back in a flash and standing not very far from Tidus, grinning widely, "Tidus, I don't believe that I held up to my promise to 'Fire' you so bad that it would be impossible to identify your charred corpse, did I?"

The boy swallowed hard and backed up a bit, bumping into Auron. When Tidus looked up, Auron looked down at him with a sick grin on his face, "You'd better start running." And Tidus did. In the direction they had come from.

After a moment of watching him run, Rayne sighed and said, "Let's go. He'll catch up eventually."

"So," Lulu began casually, walking quickly to stand beside Rayne, "When do you plan on showing us?"

Rayne twitched, "I have no clue what you're talking about."

Yuna walked up on the other side of her, "I think you do."

Turning to the young summoner, Rayne grinned widely, "I hate you and I'll never confide in you again."

The two young women giggled and Rayne huffed, "You both suck really bad." Still giggling, Lulu and Yuna skipped to the head of the group and whispered to each other. Auron and Kimahri walked up beside Rayne next, both of them watching quietly as her eye twitched.

"Rayne, what is it?" Auron dared to ask.

Still twitching, Rayne replied through gritted teeth, "I finally found armor that doesn't want to kill me."

The two men exchanged glances before Kimahri asked, "What kind of armor?"

Rayne performed a full body twitch and grumbled, "Armor I would prefer to hide and not talk about, for now."

The two exchanged glances again, then Kimahri walked away, leaving Auron and Rayne alone. "What's so bad about it?"

Rayne sighed, glanced around, then reluctantly admitted in a low voice, "It's a breastplate."

Auron blinked, not understanding, "Part of my armor is a breastplate, as well. What's the problem with it?"

In an even lower voice than before, she muttered, "Does yours look like a glorified corset?"

Auron blinked again, "Ah."

Rayne sighed and nodded, "Yeah."

They were both silent for a moment, but Auron ended it by chuckling. His chuckling grew louder and louder, and soon enough he was laughing. Rayne looked at him with distraught eyes, whining, "Auron…"

His laughter died at bit and he said, "Sorry, it's just funny, that's all."

"'That's all'?! Auron, it takes a miracle from the heavens to get you to laugh, and when you finally do, it's because you find out that my armor looks like a corset?!"

Se froze and Auron laughed again. Yep, you read it, she blew it. She had said that loud enough for even Tidus, who was several hundred meters behind them, to hear, and now everyone knew.

"A corset?" Rayne flinched when Tidus shouted, "Your armor is a corset?!"

"I said like a corset. **Like**! Major emphasis on the **like**!" She shouted back.

Lulu turned to face Rayne, a wide smile on her face, "Well, you might as well show us what it looks like, seeing as if you don't we'll probably imagine something terrible and inappropriate."

"Auron!" Tidus coughed from behind Rayne.

Twitching, Rayne muttered a string of curses as she unzipped her jacket and took it off, revealing the offensive piece of armor in question. There was silence, which was quickly broken by laughter from all directions. Rayne groaned and turned to the rocky wall, hitting her head on it repeatedly.

Yuna stopped laughing and walked up to Rayne, pulling her into a hug, "I think it looks great."

Lulu stopped laughing, as well, and concurred, "It's just… a bit odd, seeing you wearing something like that."

"It just had to be the only kind of magical armor that didn't react violently. It couldn't have been the necklaces, circlets, or the belts, could it?" Rayne groaned as Yuna cast a quick 'Cure' spell on her bleeding forehead. She the pulled her jacket back on, but didn't bother to zip it back up, stuffing her hands in her pockets and trudging on.

Several battles and a bit of teasing later, they arrived at a crossroads. Tidus stopped walking and sighed heavily, "So, how much longer till Zanarkand?"

Lulu sighed, "First, we cross the Moonflow. Then, we pass through the Guado city of Guadosalam. Then, across the Thunder Plains to the Temple of Macalania."

Tidus gapped, "That far?!"

Yuna giggled and turned to face him, "But, first, we get to pray at the temple in Djose!"

Tidus groaned, "We can't just skip all of that, can we?"

Yuna shook her head, "I have to pray to all of the fayth in all of the temples."

"That's the summoners training," Wakka nodded from beside Tidus, "She has to prepare mind and body in order to get the Final Aeon."

"Gee," Tidus mumbled, "Must be hard, Yuna."

She only smiled, "I'll be fine… with you here."

Rayne watched all of this with a quirked brow, shaking her head when the others turned and walked to the Temple. Tidus was about to follow him when Auron stopped him. "Hey, new guy."

Tidus stopped in mid-stride and spun on his heel, turning to face his fellow, "You talkin' to me?"

Auron rolled his eye, "Who else?" He then turned serious, "Listen, don't tell Yuna about Jecht. She would only distance herself from you, and we don't want that."

Tidus nodded, "Right. Hey, wait, what about my feelings? Did you ever take that into consideration when you told me? Did I really have to know?"

Rayne sighed, "Tidus, it's better that you know beforehand rather than discovering it at a more untimely point and going all emotional on us."

"Huh," Tidus scoffed, "Me emotional? Come on!"

Auron laughed shortly and walked to down the road, "I heard you were quite the crybaby."

Tidus glared after Auron and Rayne giggled, "Ignore him, you know that's just how he is."

Tidus sighed, "Yeah. I guess. But, you know, I wasn't going to tell Yuna, anyway. No one would believe me, and I still don't believe it, myself."

Rayne shook her head and leaned against a rock, "Yuna would have believed you, and you know that." When Tidus nodded reluctantly, she continued, "And as for not believing it, yourself, I… I have something to tell you. Remember when I went ballistic and started attacking Sin?"

"Yeah," Tidus whistled, "You were crazy! Screaming gibberish and casting all sorts of nasty spells. What happened?"

She shook her head and waved him off, "I'll tell you later, but listen to this. While I was like that, I came into mental contact with Sin. When the contact was nearly broken, I… I spoke with Jecht."

Tidus gulped and shuffled his feet, "What he say?"

Rayne sighed, "He… he wants us… mainly you, though, to…"

"Kill him, right?"

Rayne closed her eyes and nodded, "The last thing he said to me, before the connection was broken, was 'Free me. Kill me'."

"'Free' him? What does that mean?"

Rayne looked at him, sorrow in her eyes, "What, you think these people become Sin willingly? He's trapped, Tidus, and he probably hates himself for what he's doing. He's probably tried to stop himself, but he's Sin, now. He's been born as a being that has been tormenting Spira for a thousand years, and it's impossible to overcome a thousand years of mindset. He's doing his damned best, though, and he wants you to help him end it once and for all. He wants you to kill him and, along with him, the title of 'Sin' altogether, and end the never-ending cycle."

Tidus groaned and screamed, "How do I do that?!"

"Chill, T." Rayne smiled, "You have till Zanarkand, so keep your ears and eyes open. I have a feeling that the answer will be inevitable. Now, let's go before they think that we've been killed by fiends."



The Temple of Yevon-Djose was an amazing sight. It was underground, a thick shelf of rock above it held in place by countless pillars of stone. As they approached, one of the pillars broke apart to reveal the actual Temple.

Tidus and Rayne gapped at the sight, Tidus summing up their amazement in one word, "Whoa…"

Wakka walked between them, "The Temple of Djose. It only reveals itself when someone's addressing the fayth."

"Oh!" Yuna gasped, "That means that someone's already inside!"

Tidus groaned, "What if it's that 'Dona' woman?"

Rayne smiled evilly and cracked her knuckles, "'Bout time we met up with that little skank."

"Rayne." She turned towards Lulu's warning voice. The younger Mage glared at her, "No."

"But Lu!" Rayne groaned, "The wench deserves it!"

Wakka sighed and laid a hand on her shoulder, "She's still a summoner."

Rayne glared at the ex-blitzer, "And you're touching me why?"

Wakka quickly dropped his hand and walked after the others, who had started for the Temple. Rayne, herself, was about to enter the doors when she heard a whimpering coming from her right. She looked and paled at the sight, "Gatta…"

The others came out a moment later and looked around for her. Auron growled, "Where is she?"

"Uh…" The group stared at Tidus, who pointed to the clearing beside the temple entrance. They looked in the direction and gasped. Rayne was sitting on the ground, rocking Gatta back and forth, whispering to him.

The group gathered around, Wakka and Lulu coming in closest. Wakka quietly asked, "What is it, Gatta?"

The boy shuddered in Rayne's arms and choked out, "Luzzu, he's…"

Wakka went to grab him, but was stopped by Rayne's glare, so he sat back and asked, "Where is he?"

Gatta shook his head, "It… it was awful! I… I went to look for him after the operation and… I found him… He was on the beach, and he… he was torn in half!"

Wakka swore, Lulu gasped, and Rayne held Gatta closer, still rocking him and whispering.

"L-lady Rayne," He choked, "I… you were right. I shouldn't have… been angry at him. And now… I…"

"Shh," She kept rocking him, "Enough talk, Gatta. Just rest now."

The others just watched as she rocked the trembling boy to sleep, slowly stroking his back and whispering to him. When he was asleep, she laid him on the ground and stood, walking over to the inn and grabbing two blankets out of one of the supply boxes. She came back and folded one of the blankets, setting it under his head for a pillow, and covered him with the other.

When she was done, she stood and dusted herself off, "Let's go. I'll check on him later."

As they walked inside, Rayne sighed and loosened slightly in the cool dark. "The Temple of Yevon-Djose."


	15. Truth, Feelings, and a Chocobo

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Truth, Feelings, and a Chocobo)

When they reached the foot of the Cloister steps, the doors opened and a group of three walked out. The first, a young man wearing an ornamental kimono, took one look at Yuna and bowed, "Ah, a summoner's entourage?"

Yuna bowed back, "I am Yuna of the Isle of Besaid."

"Ah. I am Issaru, and these are my brothers, Maroda," he gestured to the second oldest man beside him, dressed in attire similar to the Crusaders garb, "And this is Pacce." He gestured to a small boy in shorts and a shirt.

Rayne quirked a brow when she estimated how old he must be, but brushed it off. 'We all do things differently, after all.'

"Forgive me," Issaru bowed again, "But you are the daughter of Lord Braska, no?"

"Ah." Yuna nodded, "Yes, did you know my father?"

"No," Issaru looked genuinely sorry, "But the likeness is stunning. He is the reason I chose to become a guardian. I believe that you may very well follow in his footsteps and defeat Sin."

"Oh, no," Yuna shook her head, "I… I have only just become a summoner."

"Ah, but you have your father's blood in you." Issaru smiled kindly, "Of course, I have no intention of loosing, either. Shall we call it a race, then?"

Yuna smiled back, "Alright."

Issaru bowed one final time, "Best of luck to the both of us, then, and to our guardians, too."

Yuna bowed, "Yes, good luck."

When they had walked away, Rayne followed Yuna up the steps, both of them ready to enter the Cloister and complete it. "Wait." They stopped when Wakka called, turning back to see that not everyone was with them. Tidus was talking to Issaru's group, and it was a moment before he walked back, a disturbed look on his face.

"What was that all about?"

Tidus looked up at Lulu and shook his head, "Nothing. Well, what're we waiting for? Let's go!"

They moved around the Trials carefully, none of them wanting to be electrocuted. "Gee," Rayne slowly stated, "I wonder what element this aeon represents?"

When they had finally made it up the lift and were about to ascend the stairs, Tidus stopped the group, "Hold it, we're missing something." He then turned to Rayne, "Alright, Lady of Destruction, where's the sphere?"

Rayne sighed, "You haven't started looking for it on your own, by know?"

Tidus shrugged, "Why bother? You always seem to know where they are."

Rolling her eyes, Rayne gestured for him to follow, "Come." They stepped back onto the platform, Rayne assuring the group as they went down, "This won't take long!" When the lift stopped, they both stepped off and Rayne looked at Tidus impatiently.

He put his hands on his hips, "What?"

She sighed and thumped him on the head, "Pay attention to all details. Look around this room and tell me what's out of place."

"You aren't gonna just tell me, huh?" When he didn't get an answer, Tidus sighed and began looking around. Two minutes later, something caught his eye, "Is that…?"

Rayne shrugged, "I don't know, you tell me." She watched him as he walked to the left wing of the room and touched the flickering glyph, making the wall rumble and crumble. She clapped, "Good. Soon, you won't need me to tell you." 'Good thing I was looking carefully or I would have missed that. What then? He thinks I know where all of them are.'

They stepped back onto the platform and returned to the aloft room, Tidus placing the purple orb into the pedestal and retrieved the magic spheres from the revealed chest. The group watched them with interest, Wakka asking, "What was that?"

Rayne waved him off, "Just a useful little side excursion of these Trials. All Temples have them, and Sparky here will be looking for them from now on. Now, let's go to the antechamber."

They ascended the stairs, Yuna immediately walking into the Chamber and the doors closing behind her. Rayne leaned against the wall beside Auron and closed her eyes, zoning to attempt to drown out the noise of Tidus's pacing. After a few minutes, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Boy, if you don't stop that you'll find yourself speaking in an octave higher than what's considered natural." She grinned when the noisy pacing immediately stopped, then began to doze. About an hour later, she snapped awake when two more sets of feet began to walk the room.

"Well, well, well, she's still traveling with quite a group, isn't she?"

Rayne didn't open her eyes, but twitched and snarled, "Screw you, Dona."

"Hmph, what riffraff."

Rayne opened her eyes when the heavier set of feet walked toward her and Auron, and Barthello stopped right before the latter, staring at him with his arms crossed. Dona sighed, "What, Barthello, you know this trash?"

Barthello nodded and shuffled his feet, "You are… Auron, no? And you're Lady Rayne?"

Both Auron and Rayne exchanged glances, brows raised, Auron turning back and asking, "What of it?"

"Can…" Barthello struck a pose, "Can I shake your hands? Auron… no, Sir Auron, you're the reason I became a guardian. And Lady Rayne, I heard that though your duty to Lord Braska was short, you were most admirable and protected him even before it was your duty. You even stayed behind to take care of his daughter!"

Auron chuckled and raised his hand, which the muscled man shook heartily. When he turned to Rayne, she pulled off her glove and offered her hand, which he shook just as energetically.

"Thank you," Barthello mumbled breathlessly, ogling his hand, "This is such an honor."

Dona twitched at this revelation and shook her head, planting her hand on her forehead. Wakka caught this and grinned.

"Calling two of the personal guardians of Lord Braska riffraff and trash?"

Lulu smirked, "What kind of summoner are you?"

Dona twitched again and took her frustration out on her guardian, "Barthello, enough. Get over here."

Barthello walked over to her, staring at his hand with wide eyes, muttering, "I'll never wash this hand again."

Dona overheard this and twitched again, growling, "You touch me with that hand and I'll cut it off."

Rayne slipped her glove back on and muttered so only Auron could hear her, "That is the oddest thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life, both here in Spira and back on Earth."

Auron chuckled and shook his head, replying in like, "Just wait until we get into areas where Braska is even more revered; things get even weirder."

Just then, the door opened and Yuna stumbled out, Kimahri catching her as she sunk to her knees. Dona glowered at her in disgust, "You owe a lot to your father. All of these guardians, and Sir Auron and Lady Rayne, too? And I hear that Maester Seymour is quite taken with you. The world must look like a different place when you're the daughter of Lord Braska."

Yuna shook her head and frowned, "This has nothing to do with my father! I am traveling on my own, as a full-fledged summoner."

Dona gritted her teeth, "Then stand on your own two feet, for once." When Yuna rose to the challenge and Kimahri stepped back, Dona strode passed her and to the entrance of the Chamber, pausing without looking back, "When the time comes, they won't be able to protect you, so get used to not always depending on them." She then walked into the Chamber and left Yuna to think.

Rayne walked to her, standing before her, speaking loudly when Yuna looked up at her, "That time has not arrived, Yuna, so use me at your disposal until then. As your guardian, I am not only obligated but honored to do as you will me, and will happily follow you until the time is nigh. Such as I swore." She then turned abruptly and walked out of the antechamber, the rest of the party following soon after.

When they had reached the main chamber of the temple, Yuna hugged Rayne, "Thank you."

Tidus slapped her on the back, "That was pretty good."

Rayne smirked, "Couldn't let the little tramp get away with tormenting my baby."

At that moment, an exhausted looking nun walked up to Yuna and bowed, "Excuse me, milady, but might you be able to lend us your time and skill? Many need healing, and even more—"

Yuna nodded, "Of course. You needn't ask, just show me what to do." She then nodded to the others, "I'll be staying here tonight. Excuse me."

When she had walked away, Rayne turned to the others, "I need to be going, too. Gotta check up on Gatta. Please, give us a bit of space if you guys want to talk to him. Oh, and don't bother to wait up for me."

She turned away and walked out of the temple, turning left to go to the young Crusader. He was awake and sitting up, his two blankets discarded. He looked up at her with frightened eyes when she approached, hiding his face when he saw who it was.

"Gatta," She said in a quiet and soothing voice, "It's alright. I'm here to take care of you."

"Please, don't." He whispered, his voice trembling, "I don't deserve it. I've defied Yevon, treated all of my friends ill, and I… I never… Luzzu…"

"Shh," Rayne sat by him and put her arm around his shoulders, "I know, I know. It's alright."

"Lady Rayne, I never apologized to him, and he's gone…"

Rayne sighed and set her head on his, "I'm sure he knew. Luzzu was always understanding and never really one to hold a grudge. He knew why you were upset, knew it was petty, and knew that if you were in your right mind about things you would have apologized. And I'm positive that he would have accepted it. The question now is, what will you do?"

Gatta thought about it for a minute, slowly answering, "I'll go back to Besaid. Now that Luzzu's gone, the Crusader's lodge there will need to know so someone can fill his position as the leader of that chapter."

Rayne nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

They were silent for a moment, then Gatta spoke. "Lady Rayne?"

"Hmm?"

He shifted beside her, "Thank you."

Rayne smiled and pulled away from him, "I was happy to do it."

Gatta stood, "I need… to get my stuff together and… reflect on this."

"Alright," She nodded, "You know where to find me if you need me."

He nodded and bowed, "Thank you."

Rayne watched him as he walked away, sighing, "You can come out now, Auron."

She heard a chuckle and he stepped out from behind the pillar to the entrance of the Temple, walking over and offering his hand. "You're good."

She accepted his hand and he helped her to her feet, "At what? Knowing when someone's spying on me?"

"No. Parenting."

Rayne rolled her eyes and leaned against the temple wall, "Yeah, well, I've got a bit of experience in that department. Yuna was fairly easy, but Wakka, Lulu, and Chappu were another story, entirely. Though, with them, it was more counseling than parenting."

Auron shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the wall beside her, "Same thing, isn't it?"

"Hardly." She glanced at him, "You didn't honestly believe that when you were caring for Tidus, did you?"

He frowned and glanced back at her, "Would that be bad?"

"Auron!" Rayne groaned, but stopped when Auron started chuckling.

"Don't worry, I had some help… For a bit."

Rayne thought about Tidus's mother. "It must have torn her up."

Auron sighed and closed his eye, "It did. Then it killed her."

"Damn." Rayne hit her head on the wall, "I wish I could have helped."

"You were needed to care for Yuna."

"No," Rayne shook her head, "Yuna would have turned out the same, even if I hadn't been there. I know, I saw how she would have turned out if I hadn't come."

Auron growled and glared at her, "You have made a difference in her life. She's not as timid as she would have been, and it'll be easier for her to handle what is to come. The overall result may be nearly the same, but you have affected how she will act in situations. You've made her stronger."

Rayne was about to reply when she was cut off by a loud squawking.

"Get him!"

squawk!

"Oh, look out! He's going that way!"

crash squawk!

"YEVON SAVE US!!!!"

Grrrahahaha! big crash

Rayne and Auron exchanged worried glances, then ran out to the main yard, where Auron stopped and deadpanned and Rayne tripped over her feet and crashed to the ground at the sight in front of them. There were several people, some on the ground and some standing, trying to herd a familiar giant bird into a corner.

Rayne jumped back to her feet, calling, "Boky!"

The chocobo turned to her and jumped for joy, "Kweh!" He then charged and, unable to control his momentum, crashed into her. "Wark!"

Everyone panicked when they couldn't see Rayne, but deadpanned when they heard her call from beneath the chocobo, "Boky! Get off! I can't breath!"

The chocobo let out a dazed, "Kweh?", then rolled over and off of a rumpled and squashed Rayne.

She coughed, "I missed you, too, Boky."

"Wark." Boky lifted his head and plopped it onto her stomach, closing his eyes.

After a moment of lying on the ground, Rayne lifted her head and looked at Auron, "Isn't it cute? He missed me!"

Auron rolled his eye and walked over to her, bending to grab her hand and heft her to her feet, "That thing is a parasite."

"Aw, Auron, you don't need to be jealous!" She batted her eyelashes and patted his head, leaving him twitching and dumbstruck. Rayne smiled at Boky as he stood on his feet and squawked at her again, glaring at Auron. She took a step back and looked at Auron, who was glaring right back at the chocobo. Rayne giggle, "This is adorable. You two are fighting for my affections!"

Auron rolled his eye and glared at her while Boky tilted his head and let out a confused, "Kweh?" Rayne giggled again and took out some of the Gysahl Greens that Clasko had given her, holding them out with her palm flat. Boky squawked excitedly and snatched up the Greens, throwing them into the air and catching them as they came down.

"Is that your chocobo?"

Rayne turned to face the disgruntled people who had been trying to catch Boky, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, "Heh, not really. He just follows me around. Sorry about that."

They shook their heads, one of them replying, "No problem, but could you keep him under control?"

"Yeah, don't worry. Thanks for your trouble!"

The people nodded and dispersed. Rayne turned to the chocobo and shook her head, "Oh, Boky, what am I going to do with you?"

"Try taking him to the Calm Lands." Rayne turned to see Lucil, Elma, and Clasko walk up, Clasko waving. "There are loads of chocobo herds there, so he should be able to find a family of his own."

"Captain Lucil, Elma and Clasko! Good to see you!" Rayne grinned widely, "I was honestly a bit worried…"

Lucil smiled sadly and saluted, "We came out alright, but our troops… were decimated."

Elma shook her head and sighed, "Of all of our chocobos, this is the only one who survived." She gestured to the chocobo she was leading, the poor think looking skittish and jumpy, as well as a bit shell-shocked.

Rayne frowned, "I'm so sorry to hear that. What'll you do?"

Lucil straightened, regaining some of her old gusto, "We were foolish to defy Yevon, so we shall attempt to make amends."

"Then, we'll travel Spira and try to gather forces so that our Knights may ride again." Elma added.

"Though this time," Clasko preformed the prayer, "In the name of Yevon."

Rayne nodded and returned the prayer, "I wish you the best of luck. If there is ever any way I may assist, please tell me."

Lucil smiled, "Thank you, Lady Rayne, we shall keep your offer in mind. Elma, Clasko, come. We must make camp."

As they walked off, Boky walked in front of Rayne and squawked. Rayne tilted her head, "What is it? You leaving, too?" The chocobo squawked again, then turned and ran. Rayne sighed, "Later, then." She sighed and began to walk to the road that lead to the crossroads.

"Where are you going?"

She paused at shouted back at Auron, "Not far. I just need to get some air. Don't wait up for me!"

He nodded and watched her as she walked away, sighing, "As if I'd let you walk off alone." When she turned a corner, he walked after her.



At the ocean side, Rayne looked up at the sky and muttered, "This had better appear as a cut-scene." She then took a deep breath and shouted, "Michael! I don't know if the days here and there match up, or if you can even hear me, but Happy Birthday! Just so you know, I'm twenty-nine, now!"

"Hah!" She quickly spun around to glare at Auron, who was leaning against a rock, "Happy birthday, then."

Groaning, she crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue, "Auron, you suck!"

He laughed and shook his head, "I never understood what that meant, but I take it it's not an admirable quality?"

Rayne rolled her eyes and turned to the ocean again, "As if I would waste my time pointing out your 'admirable qualities'."

"So, you admit I have some."

She turned her head back to face him, brow quirked, "You definitely have some less-than-admirable qualities."

He smirked and stood beside her, "Like?"

She smirked back, "You're stubborn."

He chuckled, "So are you. What else?"

"You show no emotion."

He scoffed, "Emotion is overrated. Is there more?"

She rolled her eyes, "You're too independent."

"And being dependant is a good thing?"

"Auron, being too independent is just as bad as being too dependant."

He rolled his eye, "Moving on."

She sighed, "You know far more than you let on."

He quirked a brow, "You sure about that?"

She glared at him, "Completely."

Auron smirked, "Alright, I admit it. Now, what's bad about that?"

"It's annoying. Especially when you show up exactly when you need to and say exactly what you need to say."

"That's annoying?"

She looked back to the ocean and smiled, "Very."

He shook his head, "Well, anything else?"

"No. That's it."

"Hmm. That's pathetic."

Rayne smiled evilly, "You know," She coughed and put on an overly gruff voice, "'There are married spouses that could name off more things that tick them off about their significant other than I just did'." She looked at him and laughed at the look on his face.

Auron stared at her, his eye wide, "How did you know about that?"

"Hehe, Jecht told me." She turned towards him completely, still smiling eerily, "You know, Auron, you never denied what Jecht said. About how feeling me against you felt 'so good' and 'soo right'."

He blushed faintly and kept his gaze focused on the sea. "I was too busy trying to kill him."

"I also distinctly remember you being beet red. I was actually a bit surprised none of your vessels in your face broke."

He growled, "Careful, your brother might hear this."

Rayne sighed and looked back to the sea, "Tell me, Auron, do you still want to hang around me longer to find more things that tick you off about me? Some of the things you named off all those years ago have changed, you know."

He closed his eye and sighed, "I can't. Not for long, at least."

"Can't? Or won't?"

"Both."

She smiled faintly, "Alright."

"Sorry."

"Why? We're still friends, like we always have been and always will be."

"Always?"

She nodded, "Always."

"…Alright."

She sighed deeply, then yawned, "Let's head back. It's late."

"Alright. … Hey, we're stuck sharing a room again."

"One or two beds?"

"Two."

"Alright. Let's go." She turned and walked back to the Temple, Auron pausing to watch her walk.



"Damn it, Rayne, don't tempt me. It won't work."

"_You never know, Auron."_

He growled and glared at the sky, "Who are you trying to fool?"

"_Hah, me? What about you? You know you can't deny how you feel."_

"Why are you mocking me? I'm doing what you asked!"

"_You'll see what I'm talking about when you reach Zanarkand."_

When the voice faded, Auron sighed, "Looks like Rayne was right. All answers seem to wait in Zanarkand."


	16. Tension and the Moonflow

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Tension and the Moonflow)

"Rayne, if you don't wake up right now, I'm going to have to drop you into a tub of cold water again."

Rayne's eyes snapped open and she was out of bed in a flash, grabbing her clothes and speed walking to the bathroom. She heard Auron laugh when she shut the door and flipped him the bird. 'Something it's only safe to do from behind closed doors…'

"I know what you did, Rayne."

Her eyes widened, "And what exactly did I do?!" Her only answer was another laugh and she deadpanned. 'Then again, I could be wrong…'

When she emerged from the room a moment later, Auron was already gone, her things being all that remained. Sighing, Rayne tied on all of her bags and put on her breastplate, pulling on the strings in the back to tighten it. 'I need to go get my coat.' She sighed again.

She had managed to find one of the weavers from Besaid who had quit and become a Crusader. He seemed to be happy taking sewing jobs as a distraction from reality, so she had given him her coat to fix. She found the man where she had the night before; sitting in a corner of the reception room surrounded by piles of clothes and working feverishly on sewing a particularly difficult Bevellian temple robe covered in intricate designs.

As she approached, the weaver/Crusader looked to the pile next to him and dug out her coat, "Here you go, Lady Rayne, you coat. Sewn to perfection, and not a single noticeable stitch or loose thread."

Rayne smiled and took the coat, slipping it on and tying her night clothes to their straps, "I'll take your word for it. Here's your payment." She handed him a small sack of Gil and walked outside, stretching and popping her back.

"Rayne!" She slit her eye to look at Tidus, who was waving at her like mad, "Over here!"

Sighing, Rayne rolled her shoulder and made her way over to the enthusiastic swordsman, smacking him on the head, "Cool it, Sparky."

He rubbed the back of his head and pouted, "Hmph." He then turned to Wakka, "When're we going?"

"We're leaving once Yuna gets here."

"Oh. I guess I'll go see her." Before anyone could stop him, he ran inside the temple and slammed the doors.

Rayne sighed angrily, "You know, Wakka, he kinda reminds me of you."

The orange haired guardian turned to her and regarded her cautiously, "How so?"

"He doesn't think, either."

Lulu sighed and grabbed both Wakka and Rayne by their arms, dragging them off to the side. She stood them in front of each other and calmly stated, "Don't come back until you've settled your problems." She then marched off and left them alone.

Wakka stared after her, scratching the back of his head, "Well, I guess we better tal—gahaha!" He balked when he turned to Rayne and found her glaring heavily at him. He began scratching the back of his head, "Uh, well… where do we start?"

Rayne rolled her eyes, "You think about that for a moment, Wakka."

And he did, slowly saying as he still thought, "I'm sorry… for… questioning your loyalty?"

Working her lower jaw, Rayne sighed and snappishly replied, "And I'm sorry for not making you apologize earlier… And for unnecessarily snapping at you like I did… And for not taking the time to talk this out with you."

Wakka smiled nervously, holding out his hand, "Truce?"

She stared at him for a moment, then took his hand and smiled back, "Truce." She immediately regretted taking his hand, though, because when she did, he pulled her into a rough hug and gave her a noogie.

"Haha! And here I was afraid you was gonna be mad at me for the rest of the pilgrimage!"

"Ah Wakka," She said, "You know I couldn't stay mad at you. Lulu wouldn't let me, the bossy little priss."

Wakka laughed again and drug her back, his arm around her shoulders, "I know, ya?! Lu's a harpy!"

Rayne laughed, then batted her lashes innocently when Lulu threw them a suspicious look, "Hello, Lu!"

The younger Mage crossed her arms, "And just what are you two suddenly laughing about?"

"You know, Wakka," Rayne said slowly, ignoring Lulu's question, "I think you're right. She does sound like one."

They both laughed again, drawing odd looks from the others and glares from Lulu. The merriment was cut short, though, when Yuna ran out of the temple, Tidus walking casually behind her.

Wakka looked at Yuna in amusement, "Yo, sleepyhead!"

"Sorry! I'm so sorry!" Yuna muttered over and over again, trying to catch her breath as she put all of her items in their proper places and catch her breath at the same time. She then ran up to Auron and nearly tripped herself bowing to him, "Please, forgive me!"

Lulu chuckled, "It's alright. Here, your hair." She pulled out a brush and handed it to the groggy summoner.

Yuna stared at it with confused eyes, as if she had forgotten what it was. Wakka laughed, "A summoner with bed head! What's the world comin' to?!"

As if she suddenly got it, Yuna started to attempt to tame her hair, the brush quickly getting caught. Rayne chuckled and took the brush, "Here." She began to brush Yuna's hair for her. Chuckling again, Rayne said, "You know, if you didn't toss around like a chocobo in a nest of ants when you slept, your hair wouldn't get like this. It also helps if you take the time to try and manage your hair in the morning, instead of waiting for people to point it out."

Yuna huffed and pursed her lips, "You could have woken me up!"

Lulu shook her head, saying seriously, "Well, we tried, but with all that snoring…"

Rayne nodded, just as serious, "You, Summoner Yuna, are such a loud sleeper it's embarrassing for the rest of us."

Yuna's jaw dropped, then she crossed her arms and pouted, "Hmm, what is it today? Everyone's picking on me!" The group started laughing, even Auron joining in in the end. Yuna noticed this and her jaw dropped again, "You to, Sir Auron?!"

Auron, still chuckling, said in a joking tone, "Once Lady Yuna fixes her hair, we leave."

Everyone laughed again and Yuna kept pouting as Rayne finished her hair. Rayne patted her head, "There you go, baby. All done." As the laughing party walked away from the temple, Rayne looked at Tidus, who was the only one truly laughing. She sighed, 'He is going to hate us when he finds out… but I just can't bring myself to tell him.' She smiled slightly when she watched him pick a stray twig out of Yuna's hair. 'He really loves her, even if he hasn't realized it yet.'

"Rayne?" She turned to Auron, who appeared concerned, "What's wrong? You're crying."

Her hand flew to her face, where she found small streams of salty water running down her face. She quickly rubbed her eyes and said, "He doesn't know, you know? He loves her, but he doesn't understand. He talks like she's…"

Understanding shone in his face and Auron sighed, "It's best he doesn't know yet. He hasn't fully realized his feelings for her, so he's likely to leave if he's told."

"I'm not sure if I can stand looking at the confusion in his face and the pain in hers whenever he talks like she's going to come back from Zanarkand."

"Well, she is, right? You said you'd find a way."

"I know, Auron, but they don't know that. And that's what makes it sad."

He sighed and looked at Yuna, who was waving her goodbyes to the three Chocobo Knights, and said, "I'm sure that we'll find a way. Don't worry."

Rayne thought about this and laughed, drawing a confused look from Auron, "Once again, you talk like you know more than you let on."

Auron shook his head, "Don't forget; knowledge can be a burden."

She saw the pain in his face and, after making sure no one was looking, briefly took his hand and squeezed it, "I'm sorry for whatever load has been placed on you."

She went to drop his hand, but he held it for a moment longer, squeezing it back, "And I'm sorry for the pain you may find in Zanarkand." He then dropped her hand.

Rayne stared at him for a moment, then faced back ahead to see the scenery around them turning a bit greener. On both sides of the road lay injured and depressed soldiers, and a bit ahead was an exhausted Shelinda.

When she saw them coming, she smiled and bowed, "Good day, everyone." She then gestured to the injured warriors and said, "We can all learn a lesson from the Crusaders. Only the truly faithful have any hopes of defeating Sin."

Before anyone could stop her, Rayne marched up to the acolyte and slapped her across the face. Shelinda held her face, shocked eyes turning on Rayne, who said in an even tone, "That was extremely pitiful of you, acolyte. I honestly do not believe that any truly righteous god would kill so many for such a pathetic reason as to prove that those who do not follow directly in his footsteps will perish. Those people were trying to do what we are, though through different methods, so should not Yevon give them at least some praise for attempting to rid the people of Spira, both Yevonites and non, of a plague? Perhaps they died for a higher purpose, one that cannot be discerned in a single night. Think on it, and inform me of what you find when next we meet."

Without another word to the girl, Rayne turned and walked down the path, leaving Shelinda with a thoughtful look on her face… as well as an impressive red hand print. Rayne was clenching and unclenching her hands repeatedly, thinking in the back of her mind how glad she was she had remembered to put on her gloves.

"…Rayne? Lady Rayne. Lady Rayne! LADY RAYNE!!!"

"**WHAT**?!"

Wakka jumped back ten feet, holding his hands above his head and his face clearly reading 'Oh shit!'. It was when she was staring at him, out of the red anger in her mind, that she saw the electric sparks

Rayne paused and took a deep breath in, then let it out, closing her eyes and forcing her body to relax. When she opened her eyes again, the sparks were gone and she felt a bit better. Sure that she was calm, Rayne turned to Wakka and calmly asked, "Did you need something, Wakka?"

He shook his head, looking relieved to see her cooled off, "No, not really. It's just… that was the third ochu you killed, and we were wondering if we could have a shot at them, you know? To gain a bit of experience?"

Rayne blinked, then turned to the fiend in front of her. It was already dissolving into pyreflies, but there was still enough of it left for her to see the gashes and burns from the damage she had caused. She looked back up the road and saw similar burns on the trees and rocks, and she also saw the rest of the group looking at her with raised brows.

Rayne was silent for a moment, then laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head, "Whoops! Sorry, uber Yevonites tend to tick me off. But I'm better now, and I'll stay out of the battles for a bit."

That being said, Rayne walked to the back of the group and began looking around herself innocently, taking in the scenery and whistling. After they took a brief pause to stare at her, the rest of the group turned and continued down the path. They quickly found that beating the ochu fiends wasn't as easy as Rayne had made it seem, and they all had problems with the fiend's poisonous gas.

When she had been allowed back into the battles, Rayne also found the fiends to be more than challenging. "How in Ifrit's Hellfire did I manage to beat these things before?!" She screamed as she dodged a flailing flowery feeler (nyahaha!... three f's).

Tidus attacked with another 'Delay Attack', but the fiend just brushed him aside, making him angry enough to scream back, "You were using a crapload of high level spells before, that's how!"

Rayne twitched and smacked a feeler aside, shouting, "Don't you yell at me, boy!"

"Why not?! You gonna nail me with another empty threat?!"

"THAT'S IT!!!! FIRA!!!!" She landed a direct hit on Tidus's sword, making the hilt so hot he had to drop it. This left him open to a smack from the fiend's arms.

"YOU OLD HAG!!!" He pulled out another sword and smacked her in the head with the flat of the blade.

"YOU LITTLE—"

"ESUNA! **ESUNA**!!!"

They both felt a warm sensation wash over them and they stared at each other, Tidus tilting his head, "Why was I mad at you?"

Rayne thought about it, "I'm drawing a blank…"

Yuna stepped between them and looked them over, "Feeling better? You both had 'Berserk'ed status."

Rayne blinked and Tidus's mouth formed a silent 'O'.

Wakka sighed, "Congrats, ya? You both just experienced your first 'Berserk' status. Can we move on, now? All of these fiends are tiring me out."

The rest of the team concurring, they trudged along, some of them dragging their feet. Two battles later, Tidus groaned, "This sucks! Why do we have to keep fighting?"

Even though Yuna was as tired as the rest of them, she tired to stay optimistic, "It's just more training. If we can get to a point where we can beat them easily, then we're that much closer to defeating Sin."

Rayne rolled her eyes, "Well, it's pointless to continue on with the same stats as five battles ago and say that we're getting better. Let's take a rest soon and upgrade our Grids, alright?"

Even Auron couldn't deny the logic in this, so they all agreed. Fortunately, some deity was smiling upon them, and they soon stumbled across a save point. Rayne immediately marched up to it and sat on it, "Break time. Now."

They all sat around the orb, taking turns leaning against it. Rayne and Kimahri, who had been entrusted with everyone else's spheres, began handing out the bags to their owners, then got to work on their own Grids. Rayne used all of her moves to up her attack on her modified 'Auron' side of the Grid, the resulting attack at 26. 'Better, but not good enough.'

Tidus glanced over her shoulder and cocked his head, "How did you get so many attack Nodes?"

Rayne looked over her remaining spheres and checked the rest of her stats, muttering, "Stole Auron's Grid and crossed over."

"Ah." He then scooted away from her and looked at his mentor, "Hey, Auron, can I—"

"No."

Tidus's face fell and he dropped the subject, turning back to his Grid and poking around on it sadly. Rayne, who had watched the spectacle, leaned over to the younger swordsman and muttered, "Don't worry. I'll steal it for you later."

This made Tidus grin, and he stood and walked over to the save point, leaving Rayne to feel satisfied with herself. That is, until she noticed Auron glaring at her. "What?"

He rolled his eye and turned back to his Grid, "Don't coddle him."

Rayne rolled her eyes back, "That's my job. You're the strict one and I'm the spoiler."

"Hmm."

"'Hmm'!"

They glared at each other, and probably would have started to argue had Wakka not cut in, "Hey, you two, we're ready to move on!"

Auron stood and walked away, leaving Rayne to stand and make faces at his back. Yuna saw this and giggled. Rayne smiled guiltily as Yuna walked beside her, "You never saw that."

Yuna giggled and held her hand over her heart, "I swear." She then glanced at Auron briefly before looking back at her mother figure, "You and Sir Auron make a funny and cute couple."

Rayne scoffed and glared at her 'partner', "As if. He's such a… a…." She waved her hands around, trying to find the right word.

Yuna cocked her head and supplied, "Guy?"

Rayne snapped her fingers, "Exactly. It drives me crazy!"

"That's just it, though. He's a guy. You used to tell me that guys would be guys, and that I should just ignore that. That they'll never change."

Rayne rolled her head back and groaned, "But he's supposed to be a mature guy!"

"Which probably only makes it worse."

Rayne laughed and patted Yuna on her head, "It seems I have taught you too well, my young progeny."

They both laughed, but stopped when they saw trouble brewing ahead. When they caught up with the group, they overheard Kimahri being taunted by two Ronso.

"Poor Kimahri. First loose his horn, next loose his summoner!"

Kimahri stood silently and took their taunts, his face blank. When Biran and Yanke and run off, Tidus offered his help fighting them when the time came. The blue Ronso shook his head, "Kimahri alone."

Tidus gapped at him, "Why?!"

Wakka pulled him back, "It's a Ronso thing. A rule."

Lulu nodded, "Outsiders don't interfere. But still, I'm worried."

Wakka raised a brow and looked at her, "You know how it goes. Let the Ronso deal with Ronso problems."

The Mage sighed and rolled her eyes, "Not that. About the disappearing summoners. What do we do?"

"Well," Tidus stretched his arms behind his head, "We're Yuna's guardians, right? We'll deal with that when the time comes."

The two turned and looked at him, "Huh?"

Tidus nodded and clenched his fist, "Yeah! We're guardians, so we can take care of anything that comes our way!" He threw a grin at Yuna, who smiled back.

Lulu laughed in astonishment, "Confident."

Wakka shook his head and laughed, "Cocky."

Rayne walked forward and slung her arm around Tidus's shoulder, "Exactly what we need to further balance our mix of personalities. Now, let's move on, shall we? And keep in mind, guardians, we protect Yuna from everything. And we'll most definitely win, because when our opponents see us, they'll lay on their backs and show us their bellies and moan, 'Oh, no! It's the Guardians! We surrender, we surrender!'" She laughed and ruffled the young swordsman's hair.

Tidus pushed her arm off and yelled at her back as she walked away, "Hey! I was being serious!"

Rayne laughed, "I know! That's what makes it even funnier!"

A bit further down the path, they came across a familiar face. "Lady Belgamine!"

The older summoner smiled as Yuna ran forward and bowed to her. "Ah, young summoner! It is good to see you. I take it you were at Operation Mi'ihen?" When Yuna nodded, Belgamine continued gravely, "As you saw, aeons are the only way to defeat Sin."

"But I believe that people are also needed to guide and drive the aeon's spirits."

Belgamine laughed and nodded, "Good answer! Well, shall we?"

Yuna nodded, "Oh, yes, let's!"

"First…" A blue light surrounded Yuna, "I have healed your aeons. Now we may begin."

Belgamine summoned Ixion and Yuna summoned Valefor, immediately starting the battle with an 'Energy Ray'. Most of Ixion's attacks were dodged, and Valefor attacked with both her special attack and black magic. When Valefor's overdrive gauge was charged again, Yuna shouted, "Valefor! Finish with Energy Ray!" The aeon nodded and charged her ray, firing and finishing the battle.

"Stop. That is enough." Belgamine smiled, "Good, good. You have done well with your training, and for that I am glad. Take this." She handed Yuna another disk, this one gold with silver designs, "This is the Aeon's Soul. It will allow you to upgrade your aeon's stats. Well, good luck, and I await our next meeting with much enthusiasm." With that, she turned and walked into the forest, seemingly disappearing.

Yuna stared after her with a bit of sorrow, but brushed it off and turned to her companions, "Let's go! Moonflow is just ahead."

After a short trek through the woods, they arrived at the location Rayne had been told she ten years ago she would see her first shoopuf: The Moonflow River.


	17. Crossing the Moonflow Part 1

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Crossing the Moonflow Part 1: Machina Battle)

"Is that a shoopuf?"

"No. That's a rock."

"Oh. Is that a shoopuf?"

"No. That's a shadow."

"Oh. Is that a shoopuf?"

"No. That's… an extremely obese person."

"Kinoc?"

"Rayne…"

"Um… is that a shoopuf?"

"RAYNE!" Auron turned on her and grabbed her arms, glaring at her, "For the last time, NO! You will know a shoopuf when you see one; they're extremely distinct!"

"Alright, alright already! Jeez, no need to get your panties in a bunch." She pushed passed him and walked to the edge of the water.

Behind her, she heard Lulu begin to explain, "This is the Moonflow."

Yuna came to the waters edge and bent down, looking at the pretty purple flowers in the water, "And these are moonlilies."

Lulu continued, "At night, thousands of pyreflies gather in the water, and the river glows like a sea of stars."

"Ah." Tidus answered. Then, after a pause, he shouted, "Hey, I've got an idea!"

"We're not staying." All eyes turned on Rayne and she turned to glare at Auron, "That's what you were going to say, right Captain Killjoy?"

Auron glared back, "Precisely. We don't have time to take unnecessary breaks. If there's daylight, it'll be spent traveling, not waiting for the sun to set."

"Okay," Tidus said, looking between them "Then, when this is all over and we've beat Sin, we'll come back. Sound like a plan?" He looked around for nods of agreement, but no one would look at him. "Hey, what is it? It's alright, we'll all come back!"

Rayne sighed, then took her staff and waved it over the water, letting a bit of her magic flow into it. The waving motion created a soft breeze, and the petals and pyreflies around the moonlilies shot into the air, drifting back down slowly. Rayne sighed again, "Our lives are but leaves in the wind…"

No one had anything to say in response, so they all just sat and watched the river flow by, the petals and pyreflies being carried away by the wind…



"Alright, enough sulking!" Rayne shouted, standing and stretching, "Let's cross the Moonflow!"

The rest of the group sighed in relief and stood, following her down the path. As the path widened out and the trees thinned, Rayne noticed something curious ahead. At first, she thought it was a giant blue-grey rock, but as they drew closer she noticed that it had legs… and a tail… and a long, curled trunk… and… it was… breathing…

"THE HELL?!"

She heard a chuckle from behind her, and Auron walked up beside her, "That is a shoopuf."

Rayne shook her head slowly and crossed her arms, "Well… it definitely is 'distinct', isn't it?"

Auron chuckled again, "I did tell you."

They both walked closer to it, Rayne looking at its feet when she saw Yuna talking to two blue things. "Huh?"

"Hypello. Water dwellers that guide the shoopuf. Friendly, but… they all have speech impediments."

Rayne cocked her head, "How so?"

He shook his head, "Go and listen."

Nodding, Rayne walked up beside Yuna, listening to her talk to the Hypello.

Yuna bowed, "Excuse me, when will the shoopuf be departing?"

The frog-like Hypello answered, "Shoopuf be launchin' insht about shirty minushtes."

"Thank you!" The young summoner turned to see her guardian staring at the Hypello and giggled. She walked over to Rayne and said, "He said thirty minutes and we'll be leaving. We had better make sure that we're prepared."

Rayne shook her head, "Prepared, right." She then noticed O'aka standing a ways off, so she walked over to him. "Hey, O'aka."

He saw her and smiled, "Lady Rayne! Good to see yeh! I was a bit worried that you had been… well… you know."

She frowned and shook her head, "That operation was… terrible."

O'aka nodded, "Yeah. I shouldn't have made the prices so outrageous, they deserved better. But, I don't think yeh came to talk about the past. Yeh came because yeh knew that yeh couldn't trust a single one o' these peddlers and snakes that dare call themselves 'merchants', righ'?" He said the last part with a smile on his face.

Rayne laughed and shook her head, "Actually, O'aka, I didn't even see the other merchants. But thanks for he warning, I'll make sure to keep an eye on them. Now, about your items…" After she had renewed her stock of Potions, Ethers, Antidotes, and Phoenix Downs, she noticed that there were several other items she hadn't seen before. "What're these?"

O'aka looked, "Oh, those? Just some new items it picked up recently. The vials with the drippers is Eye Drops, for when you get 'Blinded', the little white patches are Echo Screens to press on your throat if you get 'Silenced', the needles are Softs, should ye get 'Petrified', and those larger blue vials are Hi-Potions, which heal more than regular Potions."

"Oh." Rayne though about each for a moment, then said, "I'll take five of each."

O'aka nodded and pulled out the items, handing them to her, "You want some bags to go with them, too?"

Rayne handed him the Gil and shook her head, "No thanks. I've got quite a few left over. Later, O'aka!"

He nodded and turned to another customer and Rayne walked over to a bench and sat down, laying the items beside her and pulling out her velvet bag of extra bags. For the Eye Drops, which were a faded red, she picked a wine-colored bag with a pink drawstring. She pulled out an off-white bag with a pale blue drawstring for the Echo Screens, which were white. A bronze bag with a beige drawstring for the bronze needle Softs. And, finally, a navy bag with a sky-blue drawstring for the Hi-Potions.

Satisfied, Rayne stood and walked towards Lulu and Wakka, who were standing under an overhang, but stopped when she noticed a commotion between a Hypello and three familiar faces.

"Imposhibibble! Imposhibibble!" The Hypello walked off, leaving behind three disappointed Knights.

"What's wrong, Captain?" Rayne asked, walking up beside Lucil.

The Captain sighed, "They won't allow our chocobo to ride the shoopuf across the Moonflow. We're going to have to find a ford."

Clasko gapped at her, "But… but that'll take days!"

Lucil nodded, her face determined, "Where there's a will, there's a way."

Elma looked at her captain with admiration, "That's our Captain!"

Rayne shook her head and looked out over the river, smiling suddenly at something she saw. "Actually, I believe that I just might have found you some help."

The three looked at her in confusion, following her as she walked to the edge of the bank. Rayne raised her arm and waved, and they looked across to see what she was looking at. They smiled at what they saw. There, on the other side of the Moonflow, was Boky.

The chocobo leapt with glee when he saw Rayne, 'Wark'ing loudly. Rayne laughed, "If Boky found a way, maybe I can get him to show you." She cupped her hands over her mouth, "Boky! I'll give you all of the Gysahl Greens I have on me if you'll help these three across the river!"

The chocobo 'Wark'ed again, then started running down the bank. Elma cheered and Lucil mounted her chocobo, grinning widely at Rayne, "Thank you so much, Lady Rayne! Your help is much appreciated."

Rayne waved to them as they ran after Boky, "Good luck! And hang in there, Clasko!" He turned and waved at her, nearly tripping when he began to run again.

She heard a sigh come from behind her and turned to face Tidus, who was shaking his head, "He really isn't cut out to be a Knight."

Rayne nodded and smiled sadly, "I know, but he loves chocobos so much."

Tidus tilted his head, "Well, isn't there another profession he could go into? Like… do they breed chocobos?"

Rayne crossed her arms and thought about it, "I believe they do. Maybe you should mention it to him the next time we see him."

"Me?"

She shrugged and walked back to the dock, "You thought of it."

When they were back at the shoopuf, Yuna ran up to them and waved, laughing, "Let's go! The shoopuf's ready!"

They ran onto the lift where the rest of the party was waiting for them, and a Hypello waved to them and yelled, "Holdshes on!"

The lift went up and stopped at the level of the shoopuf, and a plank was set down so they could walk to the basket. The Hypello who was driving glanced back at them when they had sat, "Ish ebulliboy ready?"

Tidus waved to him, "Let's go!"

The Hypello nodded and faced forward, cracking the reins, "Shoopuf launchin'!" The shoopuf sounded off a moanish sound, then stepped into the water, dogpaddling with its feet and steering with its tail.

About a fourth of the way out, Wakka kicked Tidus and said, "Hey, look over the edge."

Tidus turned in his seat and glanced down into the water, his eyes narrowing to focus then widening at what he saw, "Whoa!"

Rayne stole a glance as Wakka began narrating, "A city under the water. A machina city a thousand years old, from the time of Zanarkand."

Tidus looked back at him, eyes still wide, "Really?"

Wakka nodded and Lulu continued, "The city was built over the water on bridges, but they proved too weak. Unable to bear its weight, the supports of the city crumbled and the city collapsed."

Wakka shook his head, "It's a good lesson, ya."

Tidus sat back in his seat, "How so?"

Wakka looked at him dumbstruck, "You serious?! Come on, it's simple! Why build a city over the river?"

Rayne quirked a brow, "Easily accessed water supply?" Tidus nodded.

The orange-haired ex-blitzer smacked his forehead, "No! It's so that they could prove that they could do it! They wanted to defy the laws of nature!"

Tidus and Rayne exchanged glances, "I don't know…"

Wakka sighed, "Yevon has taught us that when humans have power, they seek to use it. That's why they have to be stopped before they can abuse it."

Tidus tilted his head, "Yeah, but… you guys use machina too, right? Like the stadium and the spheres."

"Yevon," Lulu said, "It decides which we may use, and which we may not."

Rayne laughed shortly, "That sounds like a totalitarian state, and trust me, those never last, and they end horribly."

"Anyway," Tidus shook his head, "Which machina 'may we not use'?"

"Remember Operation Mi'ihen?" Tidus nodded and Wakka nodded back, "That kind."

"Or war will rage again."

Tidus looked at Lulu in shock, "'War'?"

"Over a thousand years ago," Yuna said, "Mankind raged a great war, using machina to kill!"

Wakka scowled, "They kept building more and more powerful machina."

Lulu sighed, "They built weapons so strong, people feared that they could destroy the world."

"But the war did not stop!" Wakka pounded his fist against his knee.

Tidus shook his head in disbelief, "Wh—what happened then."

Wakka crossed his arms, "Sin came."

Lulu shook her head, "It destroyed all of the machina, and our punishment… was Sin."

Tidus whistled lowly, "Wow, that's tough."

Rayne sighed, "Yeah, but it could have been worse; much worse. Had they actually launched a final assault, millions would have been killed. The planet would lie in ruins. Eventually, supplies would have dwindled and the remaining would have starved. The world would digress, and all would perish in ash and smoke, their tombs upon the ruins that they themselves wrought."

They looked at her with wide eyes, Wakka muttering, "Lady Rayne…"

Rayne shrugged, "Where I'm from, it's called many things; Armageddon, the Last Judgment, Doomsday, the Apocalypse, Ragnarök. There are those who take a rather serious and depressing stance on it."

Tidus snorted, "Obviously." He turned back to Wakka, "But still, it's not like it was the machina that were bad."

Lulu shook her head, "Only as bad as their users."

Wakka growled, "And it's because of people like the Al Bhed that everything keeps gettin' screwed up!"

Just then, the shoopuf shook and moaned. Everyone leapt to their feet and looked over the side of the boat. "Something's in the water."

Rayne saw Yuna standing close to the edge and remembered what had been said about the summoners disappearing. Auron must have been thinking the same thing, because he shouted at the same time as Rayne, "Yuna! Sit down!"

She looked between them in shock and nodded, "Y-yes!" But, just as she went to sit, a jumpsuited figure dropped from the sunroof and grabbed Yuna around the waist, pulling her off of the basket and into the water.

"YUNA!!!"

Everyone watched with trepidation as Tidus and Wakka jumped into the water. Rayne clenched her hands and took of her jacket. 'Not this time!'

Lulu saw Rayne begin to take of her skirt and cried, "What are you doing?!"

Beneath her skirt, Rayne had on a pair of shorts, and she still had her breastplate and staff strapped to her. "What does it look like?!"

The younger Mage grabbed her arm as she climbed over the railing, "Mages don't do well in water!"

Rayne tried to yank her arm away, "My staff still has Thunderstrike, so that'll be enough of an advantage."

Auron grabbed her other arm, "Can you even swim?!"

Rayne screamed and yelled at both of them, "IF I COULDN'T, I WOULDN'T JUMP IN!"

Auron and Lulu exchanged glances, then let her go, Auron growling, "Bring her back."

"We will." She raised her hands over her head and dove into the water.



Michael laughed and howled when he saw Rayne dive into the water, "Right on, Rayne! A perfect jackknife!"

This was even more proof that the Rayne in the game was his sister. Rayne may have always been terrible at most sports, but swimming had always been one thing she was good at. He grabbed the remote and hunkered down in front of the TV, "Alright! Time to kick some ass!"



Tidus and Wakka watched in disbelief as Rayne shot passed them and whacked the machina with her staff, sparks flying as the Thunderstrike took effect. Using the machina to propel herself, Rayne pushed off and swam back to her comrades. They started making wild gestures at her, pointing to her and the surface, but she just shook her head and pointed to the tip of her staff, a spark jumping from the citrine gem to her finger.

The two men exchanged glances, then turned back to her and nodded, taking out their own Thunderstrike weapons. Rayne flipped around and looked at the Al Bhed machina. It was equipped to shoot blitzballs, and at the top was a glass dome with Yuna inside, the summoner smacking the glass with her staff.

Rayne tried to gesture to her to stop, but was blindsided by a blitzball that hit her stomach. The air was knocked out of her, and she watched helplessly as the bubbles drifted back to the surface. She was drifting down into the shadow abyss below when Wakka swam down and caught her, shoving a tablet into her mouth. Air suddenly rushed back into her lungs and she swam back up to the machina level, Wakka giving her a thumbs up.

After returning it, she faced the machina again and shot at it, shoving her staff into one of the ball shooting holes and jamming the mechanism. When she swam back, Tidus shot passed her and copied her move on the other side, both of the shooting mechanisms now out of commission. Rayne saw Wakka flash red briefly, and he brought his blitzball up, spinning it on one finger. An electric pulse surrounded it and he kicked it at the machina, hitting it dead on.

Yuna's pod was ejected and the machina shuddered, exploding a moment later. Wakka, Tidus and Rayne gave each other triumphant gestures, then swam to the surface as Yuna was scooped up by the shoopuf.

Rayne stole a glance at Wakka, "What was that tablet?"

Wakka smiled and gave her a thumbs up, "Training tablet for blitzball. It's for the newbs who can't hold their breath underwater for long periods of time."

"… Thanks."

He smiled even wider, "No problem, Lady Rayne." They were then yanked up by the shoopuf.

Back in the basket, Lulu threw her arms around Yuna and hugged her, "Are you alright?"

Though she was trembling, Yuna smiled and replied, "Y-yes."

"Ish ebullibody okay?"

"Yes, we're fine!" Yuna stood and shouted to the Hypello.

Auron and Rayne were on her in a flash, "Yuna!"

Yuna paled and plopped back into her seat, her face lowered.

Towels were handed out and Rayne sat back in her seat, her skirt and jacket back on and her towel draped over her head.

"Damn the Al Bhed!" Wakka cursed, "What do they want from us?! Revenge for Luca? Oh, they must be upset about loosing the Tournament! Oh, maybe they're mad about Mi'ihen!"

"Hmm," Lulu muttered aloud, "What was that that was said? About summoners disappearing?"

"Oho!" Wakka shouted, "So they're the ones behind it! Those sand-blasted grease monkeys!!!"

Rayne and Tidus noticed the look of sorrow that crossed Yuna's face and frowned, Tidus saying, "Hey Wakka. We'll face the troubles as they come with us, so there's no use complaining about what's already happened. I'll protect Yuna from anyone and everyone, that's all I need to know."

Wakka grunted and Rayne smiled. Yuna smiled when Tidus looked at her and mouthed, 'Thank you.'


	18. Crossing the Moonflow Part 2: RIKKU!

The two stanzas featured in this chapter do not belong to me. The song is called 'Orchard of Mines', and it is owned by Globus.

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Crossing the Moonflow Part 2: RIKKU!!!)

Halfway across the Moonflow, Rayne leaned her head back and closed her eyes, "This river is bigger than it looks."

She heard several grunts and calls of agreement. A few moments later, Rayne began to hum. They all listened to her, a bit confused.

"Lady Rayne, I thought you didn't listen to music?"

Rayne stopped humming and laughed, "My brother did. He loved music."

"Rayne, you have a brother?!"

Rayne slit her eyes and glanced at Yuna, "Yeah. His name is Michael. He's my twin."

"How come we never met him, Lady Rayne?"

Rayne sighed and closed her eyes again, "I haven't seen him in ten years, Wakka."

There was silence again, and Rayne began humming again.

"Rayne, do you remember how the song goes?"

Rayne stopped humming and thought about it. When it seemed to everyone like she wasn't going to answer Yuna's question, Rayne started singing.

"Don't taint this ground

With the color of the past.

Are the sounds

In bloom

With you?

'Cause you seem like

An Orchard of Mines

Just take

One step

At a time."

She paused, then shrugged her shoulders, "That's all I can remember."

Yuna smiled, "It sounds nice."

Wakka cocked his head, "I didn't know you sang, Lady Rayne."

Rayne opened her eyes and glared at Wakka, "I don't. Got it?"

Wakka balked and nodded rapidly, "Of course you don't! Who said you did? Not me!"

Satisfied, Rayne closed her eyes and dozed. It seemed like it was too soon when Auron was kicking her boot and calling to her, "We're here."

"Ugh, fine." She opened her bleary eyes and stood, stumbling slightly.

Auron caught her and sighed, "Let's go." Holding her arm, he led her off of the plank and onto the lift. "You steady?"

She leaned against the railing and nodded, "Yeah. Just a bit tired." She then looked over the edge and saw Yuna surrounded by a sea of admirers. "Hah, poor Yuna."

Auron laughed shortly, "It'll be poor you soon enough."

Rayne looked at him, "Why?"

He looked at her and smirked, "You think word of you didn't reach Bevelle over the past ten years? You had Luca in an uproar, and all word from Luca travels fast."

As the lift touched down, Rayne whined, "What were they saying?!"

Auron chuckled when eyes turned on Rayne, "Basically what Barthello said, only with a bit more…" He paused as the people crowded around the lift and trapped them inside. "Pizzazz."

"Look! It really is the Legendary Guardian! Sir Auron!"

"Look who's with him! Lady Rayne!!!"

"OMG! It really is Lady Rayne!"

"Lady Rayne! Shake my hand!"

"Sir Auron!"

"You youngsters back off and let the people who really appreciate them through!"

Rayne backed up and pressed herself against the back railing then scooted over a bit to hide behind Auron. "I think I liked it better when Spira hated me."

Auron grabbed her arm again and shoved her into the crowed, "Might as well get it over with."

"Lady Rayne!" Rayne turned to the woman on her left. "Did you really protect Lord Braska before you were his guardian?"

"Uh… not really. I just threw a rock, and…"

"She's so modest!"

"Lady Rayne!" A little boy tugged at her skirt, "I heard you defeated the Lord Ochu by making him explode!!!"

Rayne stuttered, "Well… the liquid in his head was extremely flammable."

"Did you hear that?! It's true!!!"

"Lady Rayne!" An old woman stood before Rayne, "Why did you choose to remain on Besaid?"

"Alright," Auron growled, "That's enough. Let us through."

"It… it's alright, Auron." She turned and bowed to the woman, "I was not prepared for the responsibility of guardianship."

The old woman nodded, "A good and honest response. It seems the rumors that were flying around when you first traveled with Lord Braska were false."

"Now, may we please be let through? We have to see to Yuna…" At this, the crowed parted, allowing Rayne and Auron to pass through. On the other side, Rayne collapsed on a bench and shuddered, "I hate large groups of people."

Auron stood beside her, "Xenophobic?"

Rayne shook her head, "Claustrophobic, if anything."

"Rayne!" Yuna ran up and sat beside her, "Oh, I hope they weren't too demanding of you."

Rayne flopped her head on Yuna's shoulder and groaned, "Yuna, how can you stand it?!"

Yuna giggled, "I have to do what's best for the people of Spira, even dealing with eager citizens. They really do look up to us, you know."

"Besides, it's even worse if you're the summoner!" Wakka called as he and Lulu walked up.

Kimahri came up not long after, "Too many people."

Rayne lifted her head and looked around, brow quirked, "Where's the degenerate child of the group?"

Wakka looked around and scratched the back of his head, "I think he walked down the road a bit."

"Well," Rayne got to her feet, pulling Yuna with her, "Let's go, then."

They managed to slip passed the crowds and make it to the path. After walking for a bit, they found Tidus, but he wasn't alone. There was a young girl with him, a girl he seemed to know. 'Actually… she looks a bit familiar…'

When she was close enough, Rayne walked passed Wakka and looked the girl over, "Rikku?"

The girl turned and looked at Rayne, "Huh?"

Rayne stared at the girl with wide eyes, "Rikku?"

The girl paused for a moment, then a smile spread across her face, "Rayne?!"

Rayne smiled just as widely, "Rikku!"

Rikku laughed, then launched herself into Rayne's arms and hugged her tightly. Rayne hugged her back and spun her in a circle, laughing with her. When Rayne sat her back onto the ground, Rikku grabbed Rayne's shoulders and laughed even more.

The others watched this spectacle with wide eyes, Wakka asking, "Uh, I take it you know her?"

Rayne looked at him, still laughing, "Rikku is an old friend of mine, actually the fourth friend I made, after Braska, Jecht and Auron. She's the one who did my hair."

Rikku fingered the braid, smiling, "And I see you've kept it the same."

Rayne looked at Rikku and smile, "I had Lulu help me with it often, though we never could find out how you made so many of the smaller braids."

Wakka looked passed them and asked Tidus, "You know her, too?"

Tidus nodded, "Yeah, she's the one who saved me when I was out on the water. She's an Al Beh—blah"

Yuna and Lulu gasped, and Rayne and Rikku flinched. The four women exchanged glances, Yuna saying, "Uh, I need to talk to Rikku."

Rikku caught on and waved at the men, "Yeah, girl time only. Boys wait over there, please."

They four women walked a bit back down the path and formed a circle. Yuna turned to Rikku, "You're Rikku?"

Rikku nodded, "And you're Yuna. My father, Cid, told me that you're my cousin."

Lulu looked at Rikku suspiciously, "How can we be sure you really know Cid?"

"She does." They looked at Rayne, who nodded, "Braska showed me a sphere once of Yuna's mom and Cid together. I saw Cid on the _Winno_ ten years ago on my way to Besaid, and Rikku was with him."

"Yunie," Rikku whimpered, tears forming in her eyes, "Are you really going to go through with this? There has to be another way!"

Yuna nodded sadly to her cousin, "Yes. This is the path I have chosen. I ask that you and Uncle Cid please respect that."

Rikku thought about it, then nodded, "Then I'm coming with you!"

"Rikku…"

"Please, Yuna, let me be your guardian! I have a lot of useful skills, and I might be able to talk any of the other Al Bhed out of trying to take you to Home!"

Yuna and Lulu exchanged glances, then turned to Rayne, who sighed, "Can you fight, Rikku?"

"Yuppers!"

"And are you prepared to protect Yuna from anyone and anything, even other Al Bhed?"

Rikku nodded, "You betcha!"

Rayne's brow furrowed, "Swear it."

Rikku saluted, "I swear to protect Yunie from anyone and anything, even other Al Bhed."

Rayne smiled, "I'm sure you will. Yuna?"

Yuna smiled and nodded, "Alright. Rikku, will you come with us?"

"Woohoo!" Rikku jumped into the air, then hugged Yuna and Rayne.

A thought struck Rayne, and she sighed heavily, "We might want to run this by Auron. You never know how angry our self-appointed leader might get, after all."

The three women nodded and walked back to the others, but Rayne stopped Rikku, "Rikku, listen, you know about Mi'ihen, right?"

Rikku nodded sadly, "Yeah. A lot of good people died there."

Rayne chewed her lip, then continued, "Rikku, while I was there… I met an Al Bhed boy who… who knew you. His name was Kaje, and he told me to send you his muja."

Rikku gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, tears leaking out of her eyes, "Kaje…"

Rayne nodded and started crying a bit, "He… he fought valiantly, and died in peace. Yuna sent him."

Rikku closed her eyes, then hugged Rayne, "Drygh oui."

Rayne hugged her back, resting her chin on the girl's head, "Oui'na famlusa, so vneaht. And I'm sorry."

A moment later, Rikku jumped back and wiped her eyes, laughing shortly, "Well, we better go get my approval, huh?"

Rayne nodded and walked passed the girl, pausing to lay her hand on the girl's shoulder.

Rikku smiled, "I'm alright. Let's go."

Back with the group, Rayne nodded to Yuna, who turned to Auron, "Sir Auron, I would like Rikku to be my guardian."

"Whoa, whoa," Wakka said, "So soon?"

Rayne shot a meaningful look in his direction, "I trust her." She then looked at Auron, "Well?"

He paused, glancing at Rayne, "She's already got your approval, I take it?"

Rayne nodded, "We're just waiting on you."

Auron grunted, then turned to Rikku, "Let me see your face."

Rikku stole a nervous glance at Rayne, who nodded, then turned back to him and stood in front of him. She lifted her face but shut her eyes.

Auron sighed, "Open your eyes." She slit one, but it was enough for him to see the swirled pupil. "I see…"

Rikku backed away, "Umm, no good?"

He frowned, asking, "You're sure?"

She looked up hopefully and nodded, "Uh huh!"

Auron shrugged, "Then it's fine."

"I'm cool with it." Wakka said, "After all, the more the merrier."

Rikku smiled widely and began bouncing, "Then I'll just have to be the merriest!"

Rayne shook her head and laughed shortly, "I don't think you'll have any problems with that, Rikku."

Auron grunted, "Let's go. Guadosalam is close."

And it was. After a short stroll through the woods and an explanation of Rikku's abilities later, they arrived at a giant tree trunk that, once they entered it, they discovered was basically the giant doormat to the Guado city. Inside of the hollow trunk, Rayne knelt on the ground and brushed her hand across the iridescent floor, "What is this? Part of the tree?"

Auron nodded, "Many years of ware by travelers and many years of care by the Guado assure change. The whole of the city is in the trees roots, and everything that is apart of the walls, seating, bedding, and homes overall were forged from the tree."

Rayne stood and breathed in the air, letting it out slowly. She then looked around her with half lidded eyes. "I like it here."

Tidus watched her sway back and forth, "Whoa, what's wrong with her?"

Lulu shook her head, "Guadosalam has been known to have odd effects on some people. The Guado suggest that it may be the Farplane."

Rayne sighed and smiled serenely, "That's right, the Farplane is here, isn't it?"

Wakka nodded, "Yeah, but let's get you inside. You probably need to rest."

Rayne nodded slowly, "Yeah. Rest is good, isn't it?"

"Let's go, Rayne." Yuna grabbed Rayne's arm and tugged her towards the tunnel entrance, "You'll fell better in a bit."

Rayne leaned against Yuna slightly as they walked down the hall, "But I feel fine now, Yuna. Really. This place is just… relaxing."

When they walked into the actual city itself, Rayne seemed to 'relax' even more. She slumped against Yuna completely, and Kimahri had to come and take her from the poor summoner. She looked up at the blue Ronso and asked, "Kimahri, does this place feel odd to you?"

Kimahri looked down at Rayne and nodded, "Kimahri feel it. Ronso blood help Kimahri ignore."

Rayne nodded slowly and turned, seeing a short Guado walking up to them. "Hey, look. It's the welcoming committee."

The Guado smiled when he was standing before them, sweeping his arms wide, "Welcome, welcome. Lord Seymour has been awaiting your arrival with much trepidation. Please, come with me." He grabbed Yuna's arm and began to pull her away.

Suddenly, the bladed side of Rayne's staff touched down on his hand and she glared at him when he looked at her. "I may be out of it right now, Fingers, but I'm aware enough to know that we don't know you. You won't be taking her anywhere, got that?"

The Guado drew his hand back and rubbed it, "Oh, my, I am sorry. Please, forgive me. I am Tromell Guado, advisor to Lord Seymour. He has requested the presence of Lady Yuna."

Rayne straightened herself a bit, though most of her weight was still on Kimahri, "Thank you for the information. Now, if you please, where may we find the residence of His Lordship Maester Seymour?"

"Ah." Tromell turned and gestured to the path, "Take this path to the other side of the city. You will find him there, behind the red door."

Rayne nodded, "Thank you, Tromell Guado, for the announcement. If you will, please tell Lord Seymour that we shall arrive shortly, if that is well."

The Guado bowed, "I shall inform him."

Rayne bowed back, "Good day."

When the Guado had walked away, Tidus stared at Rayne with wide eyes, "I think I just might like this you better."

Auron scoffed, "She definitely handles situations better."

Still leaning against Kimahri, Rayne turned to Yuna, "Shall we see him with what is left of today? Or shall we rest and see him early tomorrow?"

Yuna looked at her dazed guardian skeptically, "I'm not sure if—"

"Please," Rayne sighed and closed her eyes, "Make your decision without my state in mind. I'll be able to pull myself together, and I won't be any different tomorrow."

Yuna thought about it, then nodded, "Alright, today then."

"Then let us depart." Rayne drew herself into a standing position and led the way, still wobbling but steadier than before.



Tidus walked up beside Yuna and started at Rayne's back, "Is she gonna be alright?"

Yuna nodded, "She should recover when we leave Guadosalam. Besides, she's strong."

The young swordsman nodded, "No doubting that. …Hey, is it really the Farplane that's making her like that, do you think?"

Yuna frowned, then nodded, "The Farplane is something not even the Guado, who are its keepers, understand. We are… unsure of what forces drive its existence, but they do seem to affect everyone in different ways, some more so than others."

"Aren't you… worried? About her going to see Seymour, that is. She doesn't seem to be particularly fond of maesters, or him, for that matter."

"It may not seem like it," Wakka said, coming up beside Tidus, "But Lady Rayne knows what is expected of her. She won't openly insult Maester Seymour, especially not in his own home."

Yuna nodded, "She will… be able to manage herself."

Tidus shrugged skeptically, "Alright. If you say…"

Rayne suddenly turned to them and the conversation ceased. She raised a brow, but muttered, "We're here."


	19. Guadosalam and Seymour

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Guadosalam and Seymour)

Tromell met them in the anteroom of the house, smiling widely, "Lord Seymour will be so pleased that you came so quickly. It is so good to have guests."

Rayne nodded, "As he shall be happy, we are honored to have been invited to his home. Tell me, will we be able to see him soon?"

"Of course. He is currently indisposed, but he shall be with you shortly. The dining room is being prepared, so might you please wait here a moment longer."

Rayne nodded again, "Yes, of course, though I am afraid that I must stress time. The sun is setting, and we must rest so that we may depart tomorrow."

"Ah, yes, of course," Tromell nodded, "It shall be but a moment."

Once the Guado had left the room, Rayne leaned heavily against the nearest wall and sighed. Wakka frowned, "Lady Rayne, it's good and all that you're being so civil, but how long can you keep this up before you collapse?"

Rayne sighed heavily again and replied in a deep tone, "However long is necessary but not for an excessively long time, Wakka. I do hope they make this fast."

Not two minutes later Tromell opened the door and gestured for them to enter. "Please come in. The feast is prepared."

Rayne allowed Yuna to walk in first, she and Kimahri following after. They walked into a long dining room with walls lined with tables of food, three circular dining tables down the middle, and a giant swinging pendulum in the back.

Tromell closed the doors and walked forward, "It is so good to have guests again. This house has been too quiet for too long."

Rayne nodded and looked around, "Yes, it feels empty. Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely house, but it feels so sad."

The Guado stared at her, nodding slowly, "Yes, well… I shall be back shortly." He then left them alone again.

The group spread out around the room; Rikku and Tidus attacking the tables, Yuna standing near a glass of water, Kimahri watching Yuna from the side, Lulu standing on the opposite side of the table as Rikku and Tidus, Auron leaning against the wall near the entrance door, and Rayne swaying in the center of the room. Sighing, Rayne walked over to Auron and leaned against the wall next to him.

"You don't much like it here, do you?"

"And you do?"

Rayne sighed again and shook her head, "I like the feeling of the city, but I was serious about this house. I was also lying a bit. It feels more than sad, it feels…"

"Sinister?"

Rayne smirked, "Your less-than-admirable trait is showing."

Auron laughed and shook his head, "Sorry. I guess you're right, I am terrible at acting like I don't know what's going on."

"Too true, Auron, too true." She sighed again.

Auron glanced at her, "Maybe if you quit sighing, you wouldn't get so much of the Farplane in your system."

Rayne leaned her head back and shut her eyes, "Perhaps…"

The doors opened again and Tromell walked in, nodding to Rayne, "Lord Seymour shall be here shortly."

Rayne stood and walked forward, smiling, "He is a rather busy man, isn't he?"

Tromell smiled back, "Oh, yes, he has many duties to perform. When Lord Jyscal, his father, died, he left all of the Guado in a state of despair. But, when Lord Seymour rose from obscurity to take his fathers place, he brought our hope back." He spread his arms widely, "Lord Seymour shall truly be the shining star that lights the way for the people of Spira."

"Enough Tromell." Everyone turned to the doors in the back, from which Seymour emerged, "Must I always endure such praise?" He then looked at Yuna, "Lady Yuna. It is good to see you. Please, relax, there is no rush."

Auron scoffed and stepped forward, "Please, make this fast. Yuna must hurry."

"Ah." Seymour turned to Auron, "Of course. My apologies." He turned back to Yuna. "Lady Yuna, come."

The group followed him into the room beyond one of the doors, darkness surrounding them when the door shut. That ceased abruptly, though, when colored lights spread around them, an image of a great city forming around them.

Seymour smiled with much pride, "These images are made from the pyreflies of the Farplane, their memories reflecting in this room, which is designed as a giant sphere."

They looked around them in awe, Tidus's eyes wide, "Zanarkand."

That word, combined with the images, sent a pulse through Rayne. She gasped quietly, her breath hitching in her chest, and she bent slightly, holding her throat, which seemed to have closed on her. The images changed and Seymour began explaining.

"Yes. Zanarkand from a thousand years ago. A bustling metropolis, full of people and full of life." He paused, standing closer to Yuna. "She lived here."

Yuna looked up at him, "Who?"

The scene changed to reveal a woman sitting in a grand room. She was clothed in rather revealing garments, but they seemed to somehow suit her. Rayne felt the pulse lessen.

Yuna gasped, "Lady Yunalesca!"

Seymour nodded, "Yes. Lady Yunalesca, the first summoner to relieve the world of Sin. Your father named you after her, placing a great burden on your shoulders. But, as you know, she did not do it alone." As he said that, the door behind him opened, and in walked a man dressed in magnificent robes. He walked right through Yuna, who flinched, and embraced Yunalesca.

Rayne choked down the pulse enough to let out a strangled, "Lord Zaon. Her husband."

Seymour nodded, turning to Yuna, "It was through their bond –an unbreakable bond of trust– that they managed to defeat Sin. Without their bond, their triumph would not have been possible." The scene faded and returned to the scenes of Zanarkand.

The pulse returned, and Rayne leaned heavily against the unseen wall. She saw Seymour bend down to Yuna, then the voices came.

_Rayne…come back to us…_

_Let go, Rayne… let go and sleep…_

_How long will you keep us waiting, Rayne? …_

_Rayne…_

_Rayne._

_RAYNE!_

"Rayne!" Her eyes snapped open and she turned to the others. She was back in the dining room and everyone was looking at her.

Rayne pulled herself together and blinked, "Yes?"

Yuna looked at her with wide eyes and blurted, "He asked me to marry him!"

Rayne blinked again. "Who?"

"I did." Rayne turned to Seymour, who nodded.

Rayne blinked again, "You?" He nodded again. Rayne blinked twice, "I see."

Seymour raised a brow, but turned to Yuna and said, "You don't have to decide now. Go and rest, then give me your reply when you're ready."

Yuna nodded hesitantly, then turned to walk out of the room. Before she walked out, Seymour called, "I await your favorable reply." She paused, then left the room completely.

"Rayne, come." Rayne blinked, then nodded to Auron and walked to him. Auron waited until she was by him to walk out of the room, but he, too, was stopped by Seymour.

"Sir Auron, why do you remain here?" Auron turned to glare at the maester, who raised his hands as if in defense, "Forgive me. We Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane."

Tidus, who had remained in the room, looked at Auron oddly, then walked over to him and began sniffing him. Auron looked down at him with contempt, then pushed him away and stormed out of the room, Tidus following close behind, still trying to smell him.

Rayne shook her head and went to walk after him, but she felt someone staring at her back, "Lord Seymour?"

He chuckled, "I was just wondering why you chose to dream yourself here when all of the others chose to dream of the past."

Rayne turned to him and stared at him, "What?"

He blinked, then smiled eerily, "I see. So, you don't even remember…"

Rayne frowned, but shook her head and walked out of the room, calling back, "Thank you for the lovely meal and company, Lord Seymour, it was… enlightening." Not wanting to hear a reply, Rayne slammed the doors behind herself.

Outside of the house, Rayne found her company just across the way, Yuna sitting on the roots of the great tree around them. When she approached, they began talking.

"A marriage between Maester Seymour and Summoner Yuna, crossing the boundaries of race. It would give the people something cheery to talk about, for a change." Lulu began, breaking the ice only to find another layer beneath.

"Something cheery, yes, bit it's an illusion." Rayne retaliated.

"Ya, but, Yuna, do you really want to do this?" Wakka asked.

Yuna sighed, "I'm… not sure."

Tidus scoffed, "You honestly need to think about it? Just tell him no."

Rayne shook her head, "It's not that simple. Even if she didn't want to, Yuna must think of her duty."

Yuna rubbed her temples, "I think I need to go to the Farplane."

Rayne sighed heavily, "Then let's go. It's this way." She waited until everyone was ready, then led the way.

Tidus shook his head and whispered, "Has she been here before?"

From ahead, Rayne shook her head, "No, but I can feel its presence. It has been buzzing in the back of my head ever since we arrived."

Tidus jumped and screeched, "Don't do that!"

Rayne paused and glanced at him, muttering, "Apologies, apologies. I must remember to keep my widening senses in check." At the entrance to the Farplane, Rayne bowed to the Guado standing watch, "Excuse me, has the Farplane settled in its disturbances? We were wondering if we could address the fayth."

The Guado nodded, "Yes, the Farplane is balanced again. It is safe to enter."

Rayne bowed again, "Many thanks." She then waited for the others to pass, leaning on Kimahri when he was beside her, "May I?"

The Ronso nodded and matched his pace to hers. Lulu looked at Rayne worriedly, "What happened in the Zanarkand sphere, Rayne?"

The older Mage sighed and shook her head, "Not terribly sure. I don't really remember what happened after the Yunalesca scene."

"You started muttering gibberish. It was kinda creepy." Wakka said, looking at her.

Rayne's brow furrowed, "Gibberish? Pray tell, does anyone remember what I said?"

Rikku tilted her head, "Uh… something about 'Moose anima solo' or something."

Rayne though about it, then whispered, "Meus animus mos non sileo."

"Yeah, that. What does it mean?"

Rayne sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "I believe it means 'My soul will not rest', or something close to that."

Tidus cocked his head and stared at her, "What did you mean by that?"

She frowned, "Not sure. Ah, look, we're here." They had arrived at a flight of stairs that lead to a large blue circle. As they ascended, Kimahri walked right up to the edge before they stopped and turned back, seeing that Auron and Rikku had stopped.

Auron turned away and Rikku waved them off, "Go on without us."

Tidus stared at them, "Why?"

Auron shook his head, "There is nothing in there I haven't already seen."

Rikku nodded, "They aren't the real thing, you know? Just pyreflies reacting to your memories, and I prefer to keep my memories inside. Go on, we'll be here when you get back."

The group walked in, Kimahri still supporting Rayne. Halfway through the blue layer, though, Rayne ran into a wall, and Kimahri was suddenly gone. She tried to stumble backwards, but she met a wall there, too. She reached out to her sides, and found two more walls. She was trapped in a misty blue box.

Rayne frowned and beat the walls, "What's going on?!"

Then, the voices started again.

_Rayne, why won't you come…_

_What do they have that we don't?_

_Why did you leave us?!_

_Come back, Rayne…_

_Come to your fellows…_

_We're the only true family you have…_

_Close your eyes and come…_

_Rayne…_

_RAYNE…_

Rayne kept her eyes open and shook her head. "Who are you? What do you want?"

_You've forgotten us?_

_How could you?!_

_We were in your heart first!_

_No, don't be angry at her…_

_Right, don't be angry…_

_After all, it has been some time since she has dreamed normally…_

_We must help her then…_

Rayne frowned, "Um, I really don't need your help, I'm fine. So, if you would please let me go…"

_Let you go!? And risk loosing you again?!_

_No, she's right… let her go…_

_Right, she'll remember soon enough…_

_And when she knows, they'll know…_

_And they won't accept her then…_

…_Fine… Goodbye, Rayne…_

_RAYNE…_

Rayne stumbled out of the Farplane backwards, her foot meeting air when she reached the first step. She yelped and fell backwards, landing on her back on the steps and falling further.

"RAYNE!!!"

She was about to dash her head on the ground between the flights of steps when both Rikku and Auron leapt to her rescue, Rikku catching her head and Auron throwing himself below the rest of her body. When she opened her eyes, her head was resting on Rikku's stomach Auron was under her back, his upper body laying on the steps and her legs on both sides of his arms.

"…Well," She began after a moment, "This is awkward."

Rikku looked down at her with worried eyes, "What happened?!"

Rayne blinked and looked up at her young friend, "I'm not sure the fayth like me too much…"

Auron sighed and pushed Rayne's legs off of him, standing and reaching out to her, "They denied you entrance?"

Rayne shook her head and took his hand, letting him guide her to her feet, "No. More like they pulled me aside for a conversation in a little box, then left me dazed and confused."

After making sure she was steady (or about as steady as she was going to get) Auron asked, "Conversation? About what?"

"You know, it's the oddest thing…" Auron and Rikku leaned in a bit, listening intently. Rayne looked at them, then smiled, "I can't remember for the life of me!" The two deadpanned.

"Well," Said Rikku when she had recovered, "I guess you're stuck with us, huh?"

"No."

Rikku blinked, "What?"

Rayne shook her head, "I'm going back in."

Rikku blinked twice, then shouted, "WHY?!"

Rayne tilted her head, "Because the fayth were very rude to me, and that kind of upsets me. So, in return, I'm going to walk in there and prove that they don't rule me."

Rikku stared at her for a moment, then slapped hr forehead and groaned, "That doesn't make any sense at all!"

Auron sighed and shook his head, "I can't wait until we leave Guadosalam."

Rayne walked up the steps, waving before she went in, "See you in a bit!" She then walked in to the blue circle, entering the Farplane.


	20. In the Farplane

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(In the Farplane)

Rayne looked around the rock outcropping with wide eyes, impressed by what she saw. The Farplane was a great crevice waterfall covered with flowers and an endless plain beyond it, dotted with towering blue spires. There was blue sun in the sky. Looking back to the rock platform, she saw Yuna and Tidus directly in front of her and Wakka and Lulu to her right. Not immediately seeing Kimahri, she looked around and found him to her left, staring at her.

"Lady Rayne had trouble coming through."

Rayne nodded, "Yes, I did. I'm sorry if I worried you."

The Ronso nodded, then turned back to look at Yuna. Rayne sighed and walked over to an empty area looking out over the Farplane. 'I wonder how this works…'

"Just think of the person you want to see." Rayne glanced over her shoulder at Lulu, who had walked up behind her. Lulu nodded at the space before Rayne, "The pyreflies will react to your memory, and they'll form the image of the person you want to see."

Rayne looked at the space before her, "I see…"

"Rayne," Yuna walked up beside her, "Are you going to call anyone?"

The guardian sighed and shook her head, "There isn't anyone I need to call. All of my family is still alive." 'Michael, Mom and Dad are back on Earth…'

The air of the Farplane flashed, and three images formed before Rayne, who gasped and stepped backwards when the images formed her family. "Mom? Dad? Michael?"

They were almost exact mirror images of her family, only they were wearing odd clothes. Spiran clothes. They smiled at her, Michael giving her a mock salute.

"Is that your family, Rayne?"

Trembling, Rayne walked to the edge and mumbled, "It can't be… my family is alive… They can't be here…"

Yuna lay her hand on her guardian's shoulder, "Rayne, images of people don't form on the Farplane unless they are images of the dead."

Rayne froze, then flipped around and slapped Yuna's hand away, "I'm telling you, IT'S NOT THEM!" Even Rayne balked a bit at her sudden burst of energy and anger towards the girl, but that energy faded quickly and she was drooping again. When she saw the hurt, confused, and worried emotions that crossed Yuna's eyes, Rayne turned away from her, "I'm sorry, but… that's not them. I'm not in denial, it's just impossible."

"Why?"

Rayne sighed tiredly and shook her head, keeping her back turned to Yuna, "It just is." She then looked at the false images again, and even though she was prepared for what she saw, she was still blown away by it. "But… they do look… so much like them…"

"That one," Yuna pointed to Michael, choosing her words carefully, "Resembles your brother?"

The 'Michael' in the air noticed Yuna pointing at him, so he smoothed back his lanky brown hair and threw her a sly grin. Rayne laughed and shook her head, "Almost exactly."

"He seems," Tidus walked up to them and crossed his arms, "More… lively than you."

Rayne sighed and grinned, "He was always considered the life of the party."

Yuna laughed, then said, "Your mother… is a beautiful woman. You actually resemble her quite a bit."

Rayne nodded and smiled, "Yeah, she is beautiful. People used to call me her clone. But they stopped when they found out that we were polar opposites. … It was always… difficult for her to understand me. She eventually stopped trying."

"Hey!" Tidus exclaimed, making an attempt to lighten the mood, "You old man looks like a fun guy!"

"He was, when he wasn't busy." Rayne shook her head and sighed, "He worked odd hours, so we never saw him a lot. And, when we did see him, he never remembered my likes or dislikes, and he always thought I was a year younger than I actually was, and he always seemed to have trouble talking to me. I'm not sure if it was because I was a girl, or if it was because I hated electronic entertainment, which he specialized in making."

Tidus shook his head, "So… neither of your patents understood you?"

Rayne nodded, "That's right. Even at school I was an oddball. Michael was the only one whom I ever felt comfortable around."

"Was it just because you didn't like machina?"

"Nah, there were a few other things, too." She leaned against Yuna and sighed, "Like, for one, I always had my head buried in a book. And, every three days or so, I had a new one. Because I was always reading, I was a bit… antisocial. Because I was like that for so long, people stopped trying to talk to me. Eventually, I was basically forgotten." She sighed again, "It was… lonely."

Tidus nodded, "I can imagine."

Rayne smiled wistfully and reached out into the air, her hand going right through her brothers. He smiled and clenched his hand, and Rayne smiled and clenched hers in return. "But, at the end of the day, I always had my big brother."

"I thought you were twins?"

Rayne nodded to Tidus, "He was older by two and a half minutes."

"_Rayne…"_

Rayne turned back to the Farplane and saw her mother reaching out to her. _"Rayne, my baby, come to me."_

Rayne's eyes widened and she shook her head, mumbling despairingly, "Not you too…"

"What? Rayne, we can't—" Tidus's voice was drowned out as her mother began talking again.

"_Rayne, sweetie, why aren't you with us? Come. Come to me."_

Rayne shook her head and mumbled back, even quieter than before, "You aren't them. It's impossible for them to be here."

Her 'mother' cocked her head, _"Why?"_

Rayne stumbled backwards, barely feeling the arms that grabbed her, "Because, my family isn't Spiran."

"_What?"_

"I'M NOT SPIRAN!!!" Noise returned, and Rayne heard an oppressing silence settle over the Farplane. She looked at the others nervously, seeing them staring at her with wide eyes.

"I think," Lulu said after the pause, "She needs to see a Guado healer, now. Kimahri?"

Rayne heard a grunt from behind her, then felt the hands that were on her shoulders shift position, and she was lifted off of her feet. "Is this really unneces—"

Kimahri grunted and glared down at her, "Don't talk. Need rest." He then promptly turned and walked to the exit, the others following him through.

On the other side, Rayne heard Rikku gasp, "Is she alright?!"

Rayne turned to her and smiled, "Just fine! I think I might have been speaking gibberish again, so we're going to see a healer. Good news, though; I proved my point to those stubborn fayth!"

Auron sighed and rolled his eye, "Congratulations. Let's go."

Partway down the steps, several Guado rushed into the room, one of them saying, "We sensed a disturbance in the Farplane! What's… Lord Jyscal!"

Seeing the looks of horror on the Guado's faces as they passed them to the entrance of the Farplane, the party turned back to the Farplane, several of them paling at what they saw. A misty blue figure was stepping out of the circle, taking shaky steps and moaning. The figure was that of an elderly male Guado, and one Rayne recognized from pictures and spheres to be the former leader of the Guado, Lord Jyscal Guado.

"Lady Rayne, stay." Kimahri set Rayne on the ground and ran up the stairs to stand in front of Yuna.

Rayne heard Auron growl from beside her, "Yuna, send him!"

Yuna nodded hesitantly and stepped passed her Ronso guardian, but froze when Jyscal looked at her and moaned. Rayne, recognizing Jyscal for what he was, called out to her, "Yuna! That is not Lord Jyscal. The Lord Jyscal you're thinking of passed on to the Farplane a while ago. This echo of Jyscal does not belong in our world. Send him."

This seemed to snap Yuna out of it, and she took out her stave and began twirling it, the unsent Jyscal immediately breaking down into pyreflies, which flew back into the blue entrance of the Farplane.

Rayne heard a loud groan from beside her, and turned to see Auron collapse to the ground. "Aur—"

Auron clapped a hand to her mouth and glared at her, hissing through clenched teeth, "Be quiet." When she nodded, he dropped his hand and clutched his side again, moaning softly.

Rayne crawled over to him and pulled one of his arms over her head, bearing some of his weight. He leaned against her and moaned again, and Rayne stared down at his head in worry. 'What the hell is wrong with him?'

After a moment, Auron yanked his arm away from her and stood back on his feet. Rayne was about to question him when she was pulled back into the air by a pair of fuzzy blue arms. "Honestly, Kimahri, I can wal—"

"No." Kimahri curtly cut her off.

Rayne sighed and drooped, glancing over the Ronso's arm, whining at Yuna, "Yuna!"

The summoner only shook her head, tucking something into her baggy sleeve and replying, "You are in no condition to walk. Kimahri's carrying you. Let's go, everyone!"

Rayne pouted and grumbled as she was carried along the corridor, not listening to the conversation going on around her. 'This is extremely rude of them! They cannot treat me like this!'

'**Who're you kidding?!**' Another side of Rayne asked, '**You've been acting like an overly polite twit for the past several hours and you've rambled on in gibberish several times, it's no wonder they're worried!**'

Rayne sighed, 'I'm going to hate myself when we leave Guadosalam, aren't I?'

'**Damn straight!**'

Rayne sighed again, a wave of dizziness hitting her, "Oh, bother." Rayne shook her head and looked around herself, finding the group back in front of the red door.

Yuna turned and bowed to them, "I am going to speak with Maester Seymour. I'll be back." She then turned and walked into the doors.

Auron sighed and turned to Kimahri, "Let's take her to the healers now." He then turned to Wakka and Lulu, "You two stay here and wait for Yuna."

They nodded and walked to the side, Tidus watching the two groups walk away from him in confusion. "What do I do?"

Auron glanced at him from over his shoulder, "Take a look around and find the inn and the shops. Avoid trouble." That said, Auron faced forward again and left Tidus feeling forlorn and useless.

Auron lead Kimahri to a trio of Guado. "Pardon." The Guado turned to him and he nodded his head, "One of my companions seems to be reacting oddly to the Farplane. Is there anyone who could assist us?"

The tallest of the trio blinked, eyes barely portraying his shock, "Reacting to the Farplane? My my, it's been a while since we've had one of those cases…"

"Farplane Sickness, I believe the elders call it." The stockiest nodded.

"Are you sure that your companion has been affected?" The shortest one asked, a bit skeptical.

"Hello!" The trio turned to Rayne, who giggled and waved, "I've been feeling unusually out of it ever since I stepped into the tree. Extremely drowse, too."

The trio looked to each other, the tallest nodding and stepping towards them, "Allow me to escort you to the elders."

They followed him across a bridge, Rayne's eyes drooping as they neared the Farplane. Their Guado guide stopped before a door and knocked, bowing when it cracked open, "Pardon, I have several travelers who must see the elders. It might be Farplane Sickness…"

The door swung open and a bent old Guado stepped out, her eyes immediately snapping to the dazed Rayne in Kimahri's arms. The old woman shook her head, "Bringith her across the threshold, and we shall tend to her."

Kimahri walked inside first, Auron thanking their guide before he entered himself. The ceiling to the dwelling was sloped at the entrance, forcing the tall Ronso to duck until they had reached the main room and took a few steps down.

The old female Guado waved for them to follow before turning back to the room and calling out, "Come, my friends, and greeteth our guests. They beseech our assistance."

From the back, two more elderly Guado emerged, one short and the other tall and willowy.

"Pray tell," began the short one, "What hast thou brought us, Hewla, my friend?"

"Me thinkest the female in the Ronso's arms be afflicted by the Farplane Sickness." The tall willowy one wheezed, staring at Rayne.

Rayne smiled and nodded politely, "Greetings, elders of the Guado. It is a pleasure and an honor to be greeted into your home at such an untimely hour. Please, forgive our intrusion." She yawned, then sighed heavily and leaned her head back, eyes becoming droopy again.

The three elders shook their heads, Hewla sighing, "It would appear that thou has been afflicted by the Farplane Sickness, child."

"If you don't mind," Auron began, "What exactly is the Farplane Sickness?"

The willowy Guado shook his head and gestured towards a low bed in the corner of the room, "Layeth your companion there, and thou shall learn of the affliction."

Kimahri oblidged and the short Guado left the room while the other two sat beside Rayne, Hewla checking her pulse before she began talking, "The Farplane is an old and powerful thing, driven by old magic and possessing even older secrets."

"In the beginning," The tall one continued, pressing certain pressure points on Rayne's body as he spoke, "It was chaotically powerful and, as a result, it hath wrought the tree around you into the great entity it is. We Guado, having lived in contact with it for much time, have also been changed by it. Over much time, the Farplane hath come to settle and, along with it, its powerful waves of magic."

"But," The short Guado walked back into the room, carrying a cup of something steaming, "There are those, born rarely but still often enough that we know of them, who are susceptible to the Farplane's waves, even as weak as they are now."

"Your companion," Concluded Hewla, "Is one of them."

"What do we do?" Asked Auron as he watched the three Guado lift Rayne into a sitting position and pour the contents of the cup down her throat. Rayne grimaced, but swallowed it nevertheless.

"We shall bequeath upon ye a remedy that she is to take every morn and eve that she is in Guadosalam, and then for two nights after she leaves." The tall one answered, setting Rayne back down onto the bed. "But it would be ill advised for her to remain here for longer than three days, least the Farplane consume her already fevered mind."

The short one stood and walked over to one of the walls, which was lined with shelves covered in books, knickknacks, and jars. The Guado reached up and pulled down a red jar, dusting it off before handing it to Auron, "This be the remedy. Thou shalt thin it out in a bit of hot water before she drinks, least the pure concentration of the tonic be too strong for her."

Hewla stood, "We have done all we can, for now. Now thou must taketh her to the inn, so that she may rest. She shall need constant watch throughout the night so that she doest not rise in her sleep and return to the Farplane, as those who have been stricken by the Sickness have been known to do."

"Should thou fail and she return to the Farplane," The tall one said gravely as Kimahri picked Rayne up, "She shall fall into madness and jump, and perish in the fall."

The short one guided them to the door, bowing slightly before shutting the door, "Good luck." The door was then slammed shut.

Rayne stared at the door, blinking, yawning, "What a melancholy bunch."

Kimahri shook his head, "Guado elders all strange."

The three nodded in agreement.

"Hey!" They turned to Tidus, who was running towards them and waving. He came to a halt before them, panting but grinning. "Hey, I found the inn, and some really useful items. You guys have any luck?"

Auron nodded, "Let's go see if Yuna is ready."

When they arrived back before the red door, Wakka and Lulu were still standing beside the entrance. Wakka shook his head as they walked up, "She's still inside."

"Hey, that reminds me!" The group looked at Tidus, who shook his head, "I heard that Seymour left a while ago. He's not in Guadosalam anymore."

"And when did you plan on telling us?" Auron growled, glaring at the younger swordsman.

"Ah hehe," Tidus scratched his cheek sheepishly, "Oops."

Lulu sighed, "What is Yuna doing, then?"

At that moment, the door opened and Yuna walked out. She looked at everyone and frowned, "Maester Seymour… left, a bit after we went to the Farplane."

Tidus nodded, "Yeah, he went to some place called Macarena Temple."

Yuna giggled, "Macalania Temple."

"Then we go to Macalania." Lulu said, ready to head for the exit.

"Not tonight." The group looked at Auron, who pointed at Rayne, "Healers said that she needs rest. We go first thing tomorrow morning."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Auron." Rayne called, pushing herself out of Kimahri's arms and standing drearily, "I'm in perfect condition to travel, and if Yuna wants to leave now, then we'll leave now." Even though she poured as much energy and pep into her voice as she spoke, no one could dismiss the teetering stance Rayne took, and they all were genuinely amazed that she hadn't fallen.

"I think," Yuna said slowly, concern evident in her eyes, "That we will stay in Guadosalam for the night." She then nodded to Kimahri, who picked Rayne up, and they followed Tidus to the inn.

"There are two rooms with three beds and one room with two beds, as well as two rooms with queen beds." The Guado behind the counter informed them.

Auron sighed, "We'll take the first three." He then turned back to the group, "Ladies in one room, men in the other."

"And I take it you and Rayne will be sharing the third?" Tidus asked, stretching his arms behind his head.

Auron threw a look at him, "You willing to stay up all night to keep an eye on her? Yuna has to get all the rest she can, Lulu has to keep an eye on Yuna, and I don't trust Rikku to stay awake all night, nor do I trust you or the orange-headed islander, and Kimahri needs to make sure that you two don't kill each other over something stupid." He paused, looking over the rest of the group before he growled, "Any complaints?"

"Hey, who said I was complaining?" Tidus asked indignantly, waving his arm.

Rikku pushed him aside and huffed, "Well, I am complaining! What makes you think I couldn't watch Rayne?! Hey! Hey!!! Are you even listening?!"

While she was talking, Auron had turned back to the counter and paid for the rooms. He had then turned to Kimahri and waved to him, the Ronso following him to the rooms. At the door, Auron opened it and held it, allowing the furry guardian to enter first and set Rayne on the nearest bed. Kimahri then stood and nodded to Auron, walking out of the room.

Rayne sighed when the door was closed, "I'm being a burden again, aren't I?"

Auron looked at her and blinked, then furrowed his brow, "You never were a burden."

She just smiled and shook her head, "I distinctly remember delaying your last pilgrimage in Kilika because I had been weakened by magic, as I am now."

His reply was to sigh and roll his eye. He walked to her bedside and lifted her slightly, easing her jacked off of her shoulders and pulling it out from beneath her, "You were never a burden."

Rayne sighed again, heavily this time, and muttered tiredly, "The way you were acting could have, and did, fooled me." She reached behind her back and pulled at the strings of her corset/breastplate, pulling it off and handing it to Auron to set aside.

He sighed in return and took the armor, then began to take her bags one by one as she untied them, "The way I acted then didn't always reflect on how I felt."

"Like I does now?"

He glared at her and continued, "It wasn't so much that you were a burden as that I didn't want you unnecessarily caught up in the dangerous affairs that come with being apart of a pilgrimage."

Silent, she finished removing her bags, then stared at her companion pointedly. He noticed her staring and began to stare back, his gaze coming across as confused. They sat like this for a few moments, Rayne's gaze gradually becoming sharper and sharper and Auron's becoming more and more confused. Rayne finally snapped and said, "Could you please leave so I can change into my pajamas?"

Auron blinked, then rose to his feet and sighed, mumbling angrily as he walked to the bathroom, "As if I was supposed to know."

When the door to the bathroom had been shut, Rayne reached for her jacket and untied her loose pants and shirt from the straps. With some difficulty, she slid off her traveling clothes and slid into her relaxing clothes, breathing a sigh of relief when she was done. But, the simple sigh of relief quickly turned into a deep melancholic sigh and her eyelids drooped, a new wave of the Farplane Sickness washing over her.

She had felt fundamentally better when the Guado elders had cared for her, and despite the bitter taste of the black liquid she had drank, that too had helped soothed her dizziness. But, now that it was wearing off, she felt the magic of the Farplane sink back into her body and suddenly felt heavy and disoriented.

Sighing again, she called out, "Auron."

The door to the bathroom opened and Auron walked out, a cup of steaming liquid in his hand. He sighed when he saw her, pulling up a chair and sitting beside her, "Here, drink this." He then tilted her head and held the cup to her lips, pouring the liquid down her throat slowly.

She grimaced, but swallowed it anyway, coughing and sputtering when she was finished, "I didn't get a chance to say this before, but this stuff tastes like crap."

Auron chuckle, "I can imagine it does."

Rayne sighed and leaned back, her eyes drooping, "It also makes me incredibly drowsy."

"Then sleep."

She glanced at him, noticing that he wasn't about to move from his position, "What about you? You aren't honestly going to stay up all night, are you?"

He chuckled and turned off the lamp beside the bed, speaking into the dark, "You'll just have to wait until the morning to find out, won't you?"

Rayne sighed, closing her eyes, "G'night."

After a moment, Auron mumbled back, "Night."

Rayne closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, one last sigh escaping her lips.


	21. Thunder Plains Part 1: Freaking Cacti!

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Thunder Plains Part 1: Freaking Cacti!)

_Great… I'm drifting again… been a while since this has happened…_

_You there, Bahamut? …_

"I am. Welcome back."

_Bahamut… what's going on? …_

_I keep… seeing things…and, the Farplane…_

"It's only natural, considering what you are."

_Which is? …_

"Someone older than you think, and more tied to this world than you could ever imagine."

_That doesn't… really help…_

"You'll see."

_As always…_

"You're waking up. Don't worry, we'll talk again."

_Wait! … Bahamut, can I… see my brother? …_

"Yeah."

A flash of light, then an image of Michael lying before the TV, the screen blank and his eyes closed.

_He's… asleep?…_

"You can't blame him. He's been playing nonstop since the beginning."

_So… will this happen every time he sleeps? …_

"I can't assure that you'll be talking to me, but yes, there will be some sort of interlude."

_Can you… communicate with Michael… somehow? …_

"Perhaps. Why?"

_I'm sure that… time passes differently there than it does here… but still…_

_I don't want him playing so much that he collapses out of exhaustion…_

_Could you tell him… to take breaks more often? …_

"I'll try, don't worry. Goodbye."

_Thank you…_

_Bye…_



Rayne woke with a start the next morning, moaning and reaching up to grab her throbbing head. Her left hand reached its destination, but her right stayed firmly in place, a soft yet heavy weight pressing down on her arm. She looked down and smiled. Auron, trying to be true to his word, had attempted to stay up all night, but had apparently dozed off and was now sleeping heavily on her arm, face turned towards her.

Pushing the headache aside, Rayne had awoken feeling slightly more normal than she had the previous day, and felt a need to do something in character for herself, and Auron was her target. She watched him for a few moments, trying to think if the evilest way to wake him. After a moment, she decided that a bit of magic torture was long overdue.

Charging her fingertips with a bit of 'Thunder', she softly touched his cheek with her forefinger, an electrical charge running from her skin and slapping his. He twitched, then settled down and dozed on. Rayne upped the voltage a bit and touched him again, this time delighting in the slap he delivered to his cheek before settling back into a deep, disturbed sleep, shadows crossing his face. After a moment, Rayne tripled the voltage and poked the top of his head, causing Auron's eye to snap open.

He scooted backwards and, his chair getting caught up in his coat, fell over, landing heavily on the ground. Rayne started laughing, and laughed even harder when he sat back up and glared at her. His hair was standing on end, static snapping and flashing between the strands, the hilarity of it acting to cancel out his glare.

"That wasn't funny."

Rayne's laugher reduced to giggles and she smiled innocently, "Of course it wasn't, Sir Auron! Are you alright?"

He narrowed his eye and stood, "Hmph." He gathered her things and walked into the bathroom, dumping them unceremoniously onto the counter. Walking back into the room with a glare still set on his face, he helped her to her feet and led to the restroom, leaving her leaning against the sink. "Get ready. We leave shortly."

When he had shut the door, Rayne stuck her tongue out at it and grumbled, "Sourpuss."

Turning to the mirror, she sighed at the state she was in. Several clumps of hair had come out of her braid, several of the smaller braids had completely fallen apart, her face was smudged and covered with red lines, and she was oily. "… Wow."

Blinking and shaking her head in disbelief, Rayne proceeded to unbraid her hair, both on the larger and smaller scales. She then took a thorough shower, scouring her face and hair repeatedly. When she was done, she then scrubbed her night clothes and travel clothes scrupulously, restoring them to their former, if a bit faded, glory, drying them with 'Fire' magic. She then dressed and strapped on her weapon, armor, and all of her items. Seeing one important item missing she walked out of the bathroom, hair down and jacketless, and looked around for it.

Only to have the missing object in question smack the side of her head. "Do you deliberately ignore what I say to annoy me, or is it just situational coincidence?"

Rayne pulled the jacket on and rolled her eyes, "As much as I am dying to say the former just to tick you off more, I must admit I desperately had to shower."

Auron growled and handed her another steaming mug, "Good to see you back to your old self. Drink and let's go."

She quickly downed the tonic, gagging slightly, then set the cup on the dresser and walked to the door. Auron, who was waiting for her, opened the door for her, his anger fleeting when she gasped and leaned against the doorframe. When the door had been opened, Rayne felt the waves of the Farplane wash over her and immediately set back into their old places, dazing and tiring her.

Auron wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned her weight against him, "Come on. The quicker we get out of here, the sooner this sickness will pass."

Rayne nodded slowly, pallor creeping into her face and her eyelids drooping to near closing. "Jeez, and to think I liked this yesterday. All that damn tonic does is make me a bit more aware of what's going on. I'm still just as weak."

The swordsman chuckled as he led her to the lobby, "Better it does something rather than nothing."

"I suppose," She muttered. Everyone was already waiting for them at the entrance, chatting lowly. When she saw Yuna, Rayne's eyes widened as she remembered something. "Yuna, something really big happened yesterday and I have the oddest feeling I didn't react properly to whatever it was."

Yuna blinked, then solemnly stated, "Maester Seymour asked me to marry him."

Rayne blinked, then flatly replied, "Oh."

The chatting ceased and they all watched Rayne, who continued to stare at Yuna expressionlessly. Auron was the first to see the muscle spasm developing in her cheek, and quickly turned to the others and said, "We're leaving." He then hurriedly pushed them out of the inn and marched them directly to the entrance to the Thunder Plains.

Their first glimpse of the Thunder Plains revealed the magnitude of its dangerousness. It was solid rock, pitted with great holes where huge bolts of lightning struck. Tall metal towers stuck up out of the ground like nails, giving little protection to travelers, as Lulu was explaining to Tidus.

Once they were outside, attention shifted between Rayne and Rikku, the young Al Bhed having suddenly become very shifty. Rikku jumped and yelped when a violent bolt of lightning stuck one of the nearby towers.

"Umm," Rikku mumbled, "I think I left something back at the inn."

Auron shrugged and walked to the Plains, "It was nice knowing you."

"Alright, alright, I'm going! Sheesh." Rikku then glared at the older guardian. "You know, you could be a little nicer! Like try to comfort me, or something? You don't understand me at all, do you? Hey, are you even listening?! Auron!"

Ignoring her, Auron walked beneath the arched entrance to the Plains, glancing down at Rayne briefly, "You ready?"

She looked out across the Plains, pushing herself out of Auron's grasp and walking out into the strike zone.

"H-hey! Look out!"

Heading Tidus's warning, Rayne jumped back at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding a bolt of lightning. Rayne turned back to the group, a wild grin on her face, "I can definitely get used to this place. Let's go!"

The party sighed, then cautiously walked out to join her. After a few moments of walking, Lulu ventured up beside her fellow Mage. "Rayne?"

"Yeah, Lu?"

"Listen, about Yuna's engagement—"

Rayne's eyes flashed, her cheek muscle spasming again, "Did you have to remind me?"

Lulu sighed, "I just wanted to thank you for not reacting violently when Yuna told you. It makes things easier."

Rayne grinned sadistically, eyes still flashing and cheek still twitching, "Oh, no need to worry, I won't be taking out my anger on Yuna. I'll be taking it out on the other party…"

"Rayne!"

Glancing at her fellow, the elders eyes flashed again, "Make no mistake, Lulu: there will be serious consequences for him should anything go wrong, like I fear it will. He will not get away with putting this on Yuna. And I will play a major role in his punishment, should it come to that."

Lulu sighed and shook her head, "Just keep in mind, Yuna is the one who will pay, so please don't do anything too rash."

At that moment, the ground shook violently, causing everyone to drop to their knees. Everyone glanced around them, and Lulu screamed out in anger, "Tidus!"

All eyes flew to the boy, who was kneeling before a glowing stone with a caricature of a cactus carved into it. He grinned and scratched the back of his head, "Ehehe, oops."

Rayne was about to 'Thunder' him when she was forced to redirect her attack and hit the small green blur that jumped at the boy's head. The green thing stopped in midair, froze for a moment, then dropped to the ground. Tidus looked at it with confused eyes and picked it up, holding the small cactus by one of its arms. "Huh?"

The cactus shook and Yuna yelled, "Drop it! It was only 'Confused'!"

Tidus complied and dropped the cactus, which turned to him and squeaked out "1,000 Needles!" in the most annoying squeaky voice Rayne had ever heard. It annoyed her so much that, without even thinking, Rayne lifted her arm shouted, "Thunder!"

The cactus shook and fell to its side, but didn't burst into pyreflies. It did, though, continue to squeak, annoying Rayne even more and making her cast 'Thunder' after 'Thunder'. Finally, the little squeaky cactus exploded into pyreflies and the squeaking stopped.

"Finally," Rayne grumbled, "Stupid freaky little squeaker." She continued grumbling as she picked up the spoils of the little squabble.

The upside to the little squeaker was that it left behind lots of Gil, lots of spheres, lots of items, and lots of experience. The downside was Rayne was now more ticked off and she had developed an eye twitch to accompany her cheek twitch.

As the party progressed, they encountered more and more battles, some of them with the little cacti. Whenever these battles came around, the party sat back and let Rayne handle it, knowing better that to get in her way when she was irritable. Soon, when the cactus battles had become more and more infrequent, Rayne took to taking over multiple fiend battles, her full anger finally catching up to her, leading to her staff being bathed in blood.

As the others watched her frenzied killing spree, Wakka turned to Auron, "Is… is she gonna be okay?"

The older guardian chuckled and sighed, "She's done this once before. On Besaid, when Braska broke it to her in a rather… unorthodox way that he wanted her to be a guardian. Once she has time to rest, she'll calm down. Just stay out of her way until then."

"Ahh! I remember you telling us about that." The orange-haired ex-blitzer nodded, "So that's why a lot of the fiends avoided her." He then watched her slaughter another group of fiends, wincing when she began to beat in the head of a dragon. "Jeez, scary, ya?"

Walking along, they found a familiar face standing beneath one of the lightning rods, and (for some reason or another that they could never fully explain) the party walked over to talk to the young acolyte. Shelinda smiled when she saw them and hurriedly pulled Tidus (her designated information giver) and began to talk to him away from the others.

Rayne watched suspiciously as the girls lighted face rose, then fell, then morphed into a look of curiosity and confusion. Finally, she walked away from Tidus, looking extremely dissatisfied, and made her way over to Rayne, who bristled at her approach, still remembering their last encounter.

Shelinda apparently remembered, as well, for she preformed the prayer in the deepest and most complicated form Rayne had ever seen. When she rose again, Shelinda looked down and refused to meet Rayne's eyes as she spoke, "I have read the scriptures and thought much about what you told me, and though it still confuses me, I have found nothing to disprove that those in Operation Mi'ihen died only to prove that those who disobey Yevon will perish. Yet, at the same time, I find that I must agree with your opinion, in that it is pitiful for a benevolent god to kill only to prove such a point. I plan on going to Bevelle and researching this more." She then bowed again, "Thank you for the epiphany that your words brought, Lady Guardian."

Rayne nodded, "May you find many more revelations, and may you be able to get others to rethink the way they 'praise' Yevon. Good luck, acolyte."

Without another word, Rayne turned the party down the path and silently pushed them on.

As they progressed, the storm seemed to get worse and worse. When a particularly bad succession of bolts struck the ground, Rikku froze and whimpered. The group stopped to look at her, jumping when she began to giggle insanely at the next flash, then dropped to the ground and began to crawl around like a spider. She then clamped onto Tidus's leg and held on for dear life, crying and giggling at the same time.

"What's your problem?!"

She looked up at Tidus with wide eyes, "I hate thunder! I hate lightning! Can we stop? There's a place right over there!" She pointed to a building with familiar Al Bhed symbols on it. "Let's go! Please?"

Auron grumbled and said "No", but the girl disregarded it and grabbed Yuna's hand, dragging her towards the Al Bhed shop, giving the group no choice but to follow her.

When they arrived, Auron pulled Yuna away from Rikku and glared at the Al Bhed girl, "We are not stopping. We still have half a day to burn, and we will burn it traveling."

That said, Auron walked away, pulling the rest of the group with him with his magnetic anger, but Rikku, Tidus and Rayne remaining; Rikku still unwilling to leave, Tidus not wanting to anger her, and Rayne genuinely worried about the girl… and still feeling some of the effects of the Farplane Sickness, including the sleepiness (but she wasn't about to divulge that to the others).

As the group walked away, Rikku began to whine and complain. "Please!"

They walked further away.

"Just for a bit?"

They walked further away.

"Do you enjoy doing this to me?"

They walked further away.

"You're terrible!"

They walked further away.

"You're awful! Your mothers would be ashamed of you!"

They disappeared behind a rock, only to run back a moment later when Rikku whined again.

"This isn't fair!"

Auron slapped his forehead and groaned, "Fine, fine! Just stop whining already!"

Rayne laughed silently as the others walked inside, a grumbling crotchety swordsman walking in last. He saw Rayne's shoulders shaking with her silent laughter and looked imploringly at her, "She's worse than the storm!"

The door shutting, Rayne finally laughed out loud, "She's just a young girl, Auron! She hasn't built up the endurance you have, and there are still simple things she's afraid of. Honestly, lighten up, old man!"

Auron sighed heavily, "Young people…"

Rayne smiled and patted his head, "You stick to what you're good at, like being grumpy and pushing us ever closer to our destination, and I'll do what I'm good at, namely dealing with the younger people. Now, you ready to head in, or are you going to sulk?"

"Hm."

"Sulk, then? You want company, or are you alright?"

"…"

Rayne leaned back, "Alright, I'll stay."

Auron sighed and leaned against the wall beside her, "You sure that you're only here to handle the younger ones?"

Rayne smiled, watching the storm, "Well, if I didn't keep an eye on you, too, Wakka and Tidus would be long dead."

He chuckled, "Last time I checked, you were the one who was going to kill the rooster."

"And keeping an eye on you stopped me."

There was a large flash of lightning, then the thunder rolled over them, leaving a tangible shockwave. Rayne sighed, "We'd better head inside, the storm is actually getting worse." She saw the look on Auron's face and laughed, "Don't worry; you can go sulk in a room."

He grunted, following her grudgingly into the shop. The group was scattered around the shop and Rikku was cowering beneath one of the tables. Rayne noticed Yuna was missing and automatically began searching for her, gradually getting more frantic as she progressed.

Lulu noticed her and called, "Don't worry, she just headed back to one of the rooms. Said she needed rest."

Rayne frowned. The only time Yuna needed 'a rest' was when something bad had happened or she was hiding something… or both. Rayne wasn't sure which, but she knew that even one of the former alone could be oppressing the young summoner's mind. She was about to walk back to the rooms when Wakka stepped in front of her.

"Whoa, there, Lady Rayne. Yuna said she needed rest, so she needs to be alone. I'm sorry, but you can't go."

Rayne leaned in close to his face and smiled eerily, "Have you forgotten who you are talking to, little Wakka?"

The ex-blitzer gulped, but held his position and looked around to the others for help. Lulu sighed and came to his rescue.

"Lady Rayne, even if something is wrong, perhaps it's best to leave her be? She'll tell us when she's ready."

Rayne backed away and sighed, "You know, some of the greatest people went mad because no one ever forced them to talk about things, and their problems ate them alive." Seeing no one was about to relent, she sighed again and sat at one of the tables.

No one noticed Tidus sneak to the back.


	22. Thunder Plains Part 2: The Letter

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Thunder Plains Part 2: The Letter)

Rayne was sitting at her chosen table, sulking when she heard a familiar voice cut through the air.

"Ah, Lady Rayne!"

She looked up and smiled as Rin drew near, "Master Rin, good to see you. I figured that this was one of your shops."

The Al Bhed smiled, "It is a recent addition. My other shops are proving to be quite successful, so I thought I would expand to new locations."

Rayne nodded, "A worthy and promising business venture. Many people travel these roads, and I'm sure that they will be relieved to see that there is a rest stop out here with running water."

Rin nodded, "It is true. Tell me, how does your study of our language go?"

Rayne smiled, "I've made it up to 'H', or rather 'R', thought I'll admit, it has been difficult finding more primers."

Rin blinked, "Considering your situation as a guardian, that is fairly good progress. Here, allow me to help you." He handed her three more primers.

Rayne frowned, "I can't keep accepting these from you, you know."

"And why ever not?"

She sighed, "Because you're running a business here, and—"

"Please, don't be ridiculous!" The merchant exclaimed, "The Al Bhed are always willing to help a friend, especially when it comes to learning our language. Besides, primers are always being made. Please, don't be embarrassed to take an offer from one of us, it is our pleasure."

She sighed, but put the primers away and turned back to him, "Hey, I gotta question."

Rin bowed, "Yes?"

Rayne paused, a bit embarrassed, but continued anyway, "I have this armor that is supposed to be really old and hasn't really been in use since Zanarkand, but I need new armor. I'm not even sure that the one I am wearing now has any special guards on it, and I know I'm going to need them. So, could you…"

"If you will allow me to see the armor, I shall check my stores for you."

Rayne sighed and stood, pulling her jacket aside and revealing the corset/breastplate.

Rin took a moment to look it over, "I see… that most certainly is an old variety, isn't it?" He frowned and looked away, thinking. After a moment, he smiled and turned back to her, "I believe that I may have something. Please, wait for a moment."

After he had walked to the back room, Rayne walked over to the counter and began unloading everything she didn't need, the woman behind the counter cataloging and adding up the total for the sale. While the woman was tallying, Rayne took out the primers and looked them over.

IE

JZ

KG

She walked over to the compile sphere and saved her memory, the letters etching into her mind. When she was done, she looked around for Tidus to pass the primers on to him. "Uh… where's Tidus and Wakka?"

No one had any clue, and the two in question stumbled out of the hall to the rooms a moment later, Wakka looking peeved and Tidus looking guilty. Rayne (as well as the others) looked at them questioningly, but got brushed off. She sighed, then walked over to the young swordsman and gave him the three primers, "Here."

He looked at them, his eyes widening, "You're the one who's been…? But… how did you…?"

Rayne smiled mysteriously, "Remember, cocky little rooster, I know many things." She looked at the entrance to the hallway, "Just like I know my baby needs me. Excuse me." She then pushed passed him and briskly walked to the hall, giving no one time to stop her.

In the back, she saw that one of the rooms had been left open, but the back one looked locked tight. She headed for the back one and knocked lightly, "Yuna?"

"I-I'm alright!"

Rayne frowned and leaned against the door, "Hun, you know you're a terrible liar."

She heard a light laugh, "You sound like Sir Auron."

This made Rayne smile, bit only slightly, "Baby, you know that if you ever need to talk, I'm here. I'm always here."

"… Y-yes."

Rayne sighed, "I'm in the lobby."

"…"

Sighing again, Rayne walked to the front and stood at the counter, taking the coins the cashier had finished counting out. "There's 65,380 Gil there, ma'am."

Rayne nodded and thanked the woman as she shoved the Gil into her purse. She then returned to her table to await Rin's return. She heard Tidus and Rikku talking, so she decided to listen.

"Why are you so scared of thunder and lightning, anyway?"

"It happened when I was little. My brother and I were playing at the beach, and we were attacked by a fiend. My brother… he… he tried to protect me, and he used a 'Thunder' spell." There was a flash, then the sound of thunder, making Rikku gasp and duck. When she had recovered, she looked at him exasperated, "But he missed, and hit me, instead! Bzzzzt!" She moaned and grabbed her head, "I've been afraid of thunder ever since."

"Ouch!" Rayne and Lulu concurred with Tidus's exclamation, and they both exchanged glances. Thunder works well against water, and water is a great conductor, so being covered in water and being electrocuted… Yeah, ouch.

"But," Lulu went into 'instructor mode', "Magic is useful against elemental fiends, and 'Thunder' is very effective against marine fiends."

Rikku nodded shamefacedly, "Yeah, I know, but…"

Rayne smiled at the girl encouragingly, "You just need to learn a few spells is all. Tell ya what, when you're ready, both on your Grid and mentally, I'll teach you personally, and I'll let you use my Grid. I have some very good magic stats on there, so we could raise your magic defense as well as offense."

Rikku sniffled, "Really?"

Rayne nodded, "Of course."

The girl sniffled again, then launched herself at Rayne and hugged her tightly around the neck, "Thank you, big sister!"

Rayne sighed dreamily, "Oh, little Rikku, don't tempt me to turn you into my little evil spawn. Having me as a sister is a dangerous decision."

Rikku giggled, "Dangerous or not, you're officially my big sister."

They hugged a moment longer, then separated when they heard gagging sounds. After looking around for a moment, Rayne laughed, "Auron, she's not that bad."

Auron sighed, "That was sickening."

Rikku huffed and crossed her arms, "Meanie!"

At that moment, Rin walked back into the room with a large parcel in his hand, but stopped to watch the glaring contest between Auron at Rikku, then looked at a laughing Rayne. "Is… now a bad time?"

Still laughing, Rayne waved him over, "No no, those two are always like that."

Rin joined in on the laughter, sitting down and unraveling the parcel, "I believe I have found what you are looking for." He had before him three corset/breastplates; one in tan with black outlining, one in black with white outlining, and one in gold with red outlining.

He pointed to the first, "Darkward."

The second, "Darkward and Iceward."

The third, "Lightningproof and Fireproof."

He pointed to her, "And the one you have on has a single empty slot."

Rayne looked each of them over, "How can you tell? The colors?"

Rin shook his head, "Colors are common indicators, yes, but for a more reliable reading, you want to use one of these." He held out a small cell phone-like contraption which, when he flipped it open, had a black screen and a small keyboard beneath it.

Rayne tilted her head, "What is it?"

"It is an 'ItemIdentify', a new machina designed after an old one found in the Zanarkand ruins. It is able to hold a vast amount of item information, including regular items, weapons, and armors. It also comes with a map of Spira that shows where specific items can generally be found."

"Whoa," Rayne leaned back and whistled, "Sounds nifty. What's the catch?"

Rin chuckled, "The two functions I explained to you are currently the only ones it can perform, so its uses are limited."

Rayne nodded slowly, "I have to get one of those…"

"Why not take this one?"

Rayne blinked and raised a brow, "Eh?"

The merchant nodded, "For a fair price, it can be yours. It would definitely be a useful item to have on your journey."

"How much?"

"60,000 Gil."

Rayne looked at him sardonically, "'Fair', you said?"

Rin chuckled and raised his hands, "I only have one, and it will be a while before I can get a new one."

Chewing her lip, Rayne stared at the ItemIdentify and thought about it seriously. After a moment, she sighed and reached for her Gil purse, "I'll take the ItemIdentify and the Darkward/Iceward and Lightningproof/Fireproof breastplates."

Rin smiled, "That will be 85,000 Gil." When she slid the money to him, Rin stood and bowed, "Thank you. Your patronage is much appreciated." He glanced across the room for a moment, then looked back at her with questioning eyes, "That man in red, the one traveling with you, his name is Auron?"

Rayne nodded and Rin turned back to the swordsman, "I see. …Sir Auron!"

Auron turned when he heard his name called and saw Rin and Rayne. Rayne saw him heave a sigh, then watched him stand and make his way over. Standing in front of the table, Auron turned to Rin, "Yes?"

Rin smiled, "You must not remember me. I am the one who saved you those ten years ago."

Auron blinked, recognition dawning in his eye, "Ah, yes. I suppose… I should be thanking you."

Rin shook his head, "Of course not! I could not leave a wounded man to die. But… we were a bit surprised when you left the next morning, with your injuries so severe. But, nevertheless, it is good to see you well."

Auron nodded and smiled, a bit bitterly, "Thanks."

Rin saw the look, but bowed anyway and turned to walk off, pausing when he noticed Rikku. "Huh?"

Rikku's eyes widened, Auron coughed, and Rayne tugged on Rin's sleeve, discreetly pointing to Wakka (who was perusing through the shelves) when the merchant looked.

Rin looked at Wakka and blinked, "Ah." He then subtly bowed to the three, staring at Rikku meaningfully before he walked to the back of his shop. Rayne sighed, relieved, and threw Auron a shrewd look, "Severe injuries, Auron?"

The swordsman shrugged, "Sin was a tough opponent."

"Left the next morning, Auron?"

He shrugged again, "I… healed fast."

Rayne blinked, surprised, "That, Auron, was a terrible lie."

Auron sighed, about to say something when Rayne sharply asked, "Why didn't you bring Yuna to Besaid, like you promised you would?"

Auron sighed again, "I had to go to Zanarkand, to Tidus."

"You knew I was there, so why didn't you ever send word that you were alive before you left?"

"Not enough time."

"How did you get to Zanarkand?"

"Same way I got back."

"Which was?"

Auron shrugged, staring at her slyly, "You tell me."

Rayne leaned back, "You rode Sin."

When Auron smiled, Rayne knew she had walked into a trap, "How did you know that?"

Rayne groaned, "Walked right into that one, I did."

Auron smirked, "I know. Now answer."

Rayne leaned back, "Tidus told me." 'He wants to play vague, so can I.'

The swordsman frowned, "How did he?—"

Rayne smirked and leaned forward, "'Listen to my story', Auron."

Auron frowned even deeper when she stood and left him, walking over to Rikku and talking to the girl. After a moment, Rikku nodded excitedly and followed Rayne over to the counter, where Rayne bought a room and walked to the hallway.

Before she walked out of earshot, Auron yelled at her, "Read the letter, Rayne."

She paused, then turned and nodded to him, walking into her room and leaving Rikku to shut the door.



When the door was shut, Rayne sat in the center of the closest bed and pulled out a bag, dumping the contents onto the comforter. Rikku sat behind her and picked up the beads and ties, setting them to her side for easier access. The girl waited patiently as Rayne removed her armor and bags, setting them on the bedside table.

As Rikku pulled out a comb and began running it through Rayne's hair, the young girl also began talking. "So, you and Auron, eh?"

Rayne sighed and rolled her shoulders, "Why does everyone keep suggesting that?"

"'Cause it's obvious you two have feelings for each other."

"Feelings that we currently cannot pursue, even if there are any at all!"

"Oh, there are some." Rikku said suggestively as she began the third of the many tiny braids.

"Oh?" Rayne chuckled, "What make you so sure?"

"You're basically inseparable, for one."

Rayne shrugged, "So are Seymour and Tromell, but can you imagine anything going on there?"

Rikku shrieked and fell backwards, "Overactive imagination, overactive imagination!"

Rayne giggled evilly, "A diet of sugar will do that, you know."

Rikku sat back up and huffed, returning to doing Rayne's hair, shuddering every now and then. Satisfied that Rikku was too preoccupied, Rayne reached into her sleeve and into one of the hidden pockets she had there. Slipping out the button, she pulled out an old and worn piece of paper. There was a seal on the back that had never been broken, but she broke now with much trepidation. With shaky hands, Rayne unfolded the piece of paper and red.

Dear Rayne:

By the time you read this, Jecht, Auron and I will be gone from the island. Please understand that we never meant to leave you that way, and that we are tremendously sorry we did. There are just some things about this pilgrimage that... –

**Look, kid, there's a lot that we didn't tell you, and we probably should have. But, if we had, you would have tried to stop us. We're sorry, but even if it did turn out crappy, it had to be done. You never would have been able to make it all the way to Zanarkand knowing the truth… —**

The truth is this, Rayne. When we reach Zanarkand, Braska will die. In order to use the Final Aeon, the only way of defeating Sin, Braska must sacrifice his life. There is no other way. It must be done. And none of us… could handle the thought of making you live with the fact that you had lead Braska to his death, because you can rest assured that even if you had come with us, you, at least, would have survived, under the protection of Jecht and I… —

And so, Rayne, we left you. Because of this we left you behind, and we are sorry that it turned out as it did. But, even in light of the great misdeed I did to you, I must ask you for a favor. Come soon, my daughter, Yuna, shall come to Besaid. I ask you to… watch over her, and raise her as best you can. Please, protect her in my stead, as retribution for my disallowance of you to protect me as you wished, and of me to protect her as she wished… –

**And, if he ever shows up in Spira like I did, could to watch over my kid, too? I know he's a bit of a crybaby, but… I really do… well… you know, and I worry about him. After watching you with those kids from the village, I really think that you could do it… —**

I realize, Rayne, that we are in no situation to be asking favors of you, but please… watch over them. They really do deserve the best protection they can get, and I know that you can give it to them. I… Rayne, I…

We'll all miss you… and we wish you happiness…

**And we'll never forget you… The days we spent with you were some of the best of the whole journey…**

Rayne… don't mourn us, because we're doing what we believe… Believe in us.

Miss you,

Braska

**Jecht**

Auron

_P.s. I really did love you._

Rayne squinted her eyes and looked really close at the last part, but she couldn't see beyond her tears, which had built up but weren't threatening to spill. And, even when she blinked passed them, she still couldn't see what the words said, which made more tears build up.

Rikku silently and watched as her sisters drooping shoulders shook with what she believed to be unshed tears, but said nothing. She had probably done what Auron had told her, and was now reacting to it. Several hours later, Rikku finished off Rayne's hair and stood back, watching Rayne as she slumped down onto the bed and stared at the wall, her eyes blank.

After a moment of watching her, Rikku walked out of the room and back to the lobby, where she found Auron arguing with Tidus. The Al Bhed girl walked up to them sullenly and pointed to Rayne's room, Auron automatically understanding and getting up to walk to the door. Inside, he found Rayne lying on her bed, still staring off into space with the letter in front of her.

Sighing, Auron walked into the bathroom and walked out a moment later with a steaming mug. He gave it to Rayne, who sat up and stonily drank it, setting the cup on the bedside table when she was done. Auron sighed again and removed his sword, turning to the other bed and moving to take off his coat. When he was ready to lie down, he took a step toward his bed, but was stopped by a thin, pale hand.

He turned back to Rayne, who pulled him onto her bed, lying him down beside her. She then turned back to the wall and settled down, snapping her fingers and making a small spark come from the lamp and the lights die out.

After a moment, Auron set his arm over her waist and pulled her close to him, her body curling against his. Auron sat awake well into the night, well passed the time when Rayne fell asleep. He looked down at her and sighed, holding her a bit closer.

'Damn it, Jecht. Looks like you were right.'


	23. Thunder Plains Part 3: Yuna's Decision

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Thunder Plains Part 3: Yuna's Decision)

Rayne, surprising herself immensely, woke earlier than Auron the next morning, and preoccupied herself for several minutes looking between him and the ten-year-old letter. Auron, being a heavy sleeper, had never felt her crawl out from under his arm, and later never felt her crawl off of the bed. After quickly pulling on her items and throwing on her jacket, Rayne returned to the bedside and grabbed the letter, pausing briefly to stare at him.

She then walked to the door, folding the letter and slipping it back into the hidden pocket in her sleeve. Out in the lobby, Rayne was stopped by the cashier behind the counter, "Master Rin had your items wrapped and stored. Here." She then handed a bundle to Rayne.

Rayne sighed and nodded, "Thank you." Seeing no one else was awake, Rayne walked over to the nearest table and removed her jacket and old breastplate. She then unwrapped the bundle and pulled out the gold and red breast plate. Not wanting to return to the confines of the corset-like contraption too soon, Rayne sat at the table and pulled out the ItemIdentify, deciding to test it.

She flipped it open and pressed the only button that didn't have a symbol on it, hoping it was the power button. The screen flickered briefly, then flashed and shone blue, a black outlined rectangle appearing in the center. As she watched, the rectangle began to fill from left to right with a red light. '… It's booting up.'

When the red had completely filled the rectangle, it disappeared and was replaced by other, smaller rectangles. Two small black rectangles formed on the left side of the screen, the words 'Identify' in the top and 'Map' in the bottom in white letters.

Pointing the device at the gold and red breastplate, Rayne hit the 'Enter' button, and new rectangle forming in the middle of the screen and the word 'Scanning' flashing repeatedly in the center of it. After a moment there was a 'ping', and the blue screen pixilated away and was replaced with a yellow and white screen, the image of her breastplate on the right-hand side and several thin grey rectangles with white words describing the armors attributes, being 'Thunderproof' and 'Fireproof'. Up at the top, there was a long grey rectangle with the words 'DualShield Corset' written in white.

Rayne whistled and nodded, "Nice."

She poked around a bit longer, looking over the map and identifying a few more items and checking her staff, a bit disappointed when all that came up were the attributes she already knew about and four question marks where the name should have been.

Rayne sighed, "Guess it's all up to O'aka." 'Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, he's proven to be reliable, so far.'

After a few more moments of boredom, Rayne turned to the receptionist/cashier, "What time is it?"

The woman blinked and looked at something behind the counter, "It's quite early. Even the early risers don't usually start stirring for another two hours."

Rayne groaned, then thanked the woman and began to reequipped herself, leaving her two extra breastplates on the table and stuffing her ItemIdentify alongside her Grid. She then stood and headed towards the door, pausing and turning back to the woman, "If any of my company start looking for me, I'm off training." The door opened, and Rayne faced the storm and headed out.

Her first battle was against, to her horror, three dragon fiends, fiends that Rayne had only seen Auron and Kimahri dispatch efficiently. As she fought, she found that the creatures were hardheaded and resistant to magic, and that her staff wasn't piercing enough to do much damage.

She spent most of the fight dodging and rolling out of the way, throwing in the occasional 'Water' spell, and less frequently a 'Watera' spell. After a bit, one of the dragons fell, but two still remained, and Rayne was tiring. She then noticed more dragon fiends coming to join. 'Being realistic about this, I fear that my best option would be to…'

"RUN!!!! AHH! I'M GONNA DIIIEEEEE!"

"Is that so?" A red blur and a blue blur shot passed her, and she turned to see Auron and Kimahri rip through the two remaining dragons. The gathering horde of fiends saw this, then turned tail and ran.

Auron sheathed his sword and turned to Rayne, growling, "Do not go training alone. Ever."

Rayne laughed and scratched the back of her head sheepishly, "Hehe, oops."

Kimahri grunted and walked up beside her, "Lady Rayne, come." He then waited until she had walked ahead of him before following, his halberd still out.

Back inside the agency, Rayne looked around and found the only other person awake was Lulu, who was sitting at one of the tables with her chin in her hands, "So, we still got half of them in their rooms sleeping?"

Lulu nodded and sighed, "I don't see how they can sleep so much; we all must have gone to sleep in the early evening."

Rayne nodded and sat beside her, "Lucky bums." She then yawned and looked up as one of the doors opened, waving when Rin walked out, "Hey, Rin. Morning!"

He smiled and waved back, "Good morning, Lady Rayne. Strange occurrences we have been having, it would appear as though the Qactuars have reawakened."

Lulu frowned and tilted her head, "Qactuars?"

The merchant nodded and leaned over the counter, picking up a red book, "They were small green cacti that terrorized the people of Spira, and were locked up for all eternity. This book," He shook the book slightly, "Tells you more, if you wish to know."

Later, after Rayne and Lulu had read the book, Rayne slammed the book onto Tidus's head after he walked out of the hall. "You idiot! You released the Qactuars!"

Tidus looked at her with wide, confused eyes, "Wha?"

A twitching Lulu raised a threatening fist and growled, "The green cacti from the other day. You began the releasing sequence when you messed with that glowing stone. Now, some of them have free reign to terrorize Spira once again!"

Rayne sighed and shook her head, "And to think that High Summoner Gandof went through all of the trouble to wrangle up the little squeakers, only to have a spineless twit come along and release them again."

Tidus looked between the two fuming women, still confused, "What are you two talking about?!"

Lulu grunted and pushed him further into the room, "Just go find a corner to sulk in!"

Even later, after everyone was awake and gathered in the front and ready to leave, Rikku stood trembling by the open door and watched the storm, "It… it's not gonna stop, is it?"

Auron gave an exasperated sigh, "You were hoping it would?"

"Ohhh," Rikku whined, clinging to Rayne's arm, "I guess… we have to go, huh?"

Rayne looked down at the girl pityingly, "Yeah, Rikku, we do. Sorry." When Rikku whined again, Rayne brightly asked, "Why don't you stick by to me? I'm 'Thunderproof'ed now, so you should be safe if you stay close."

Rikku cheered up a bit at this, smiling, "Ok!"

Auron sighed, "Can we go now?"

After throwing a glare at Auron, Rayne walked out the door, Rikku clinging to the back of her coat. Rayne quickly found that this wasn't the easiest way to fight melee, so she and Rikku just stuck with throwing their spells and grenades, respectively. Slowly, Rikku began to detach herself from Rayne's back and began to just stand close to her, making it easier on the both of them.

As the fighting went on, Yuna began to slow and participated less and less in the encounters. Rayne managed to shake Rikku off long enough to walk up beside the summoner and talk to her alone. "Yuna? What's wrong?"

At this, the young summoner stopped and turned to the rest of the group, seeing them staring at her with questioning and worried eyes. She sighed, "I… I need to talk to everyone."

Tidus dodged another bolt of lightning and looked around, exasperated, "Now?"

Yuna nodded, "Yes."

Auron sighed, "Very well. Over there, then." The group looked where he was pointing and saw an old overhang built around one of the lightning rods.

Beneath it, Yuna stood before the group and took a deep breath, "I… have decided to marry."

Several of them blanched, Wakka stuttering, "Wha-what?"

Lulu shook her head, "Are you sure?"

Yuna nodded, a bit more determined, "Yes."

Gritting her teeth, Rayne turned and walked to the edge of the overhang, staring out at the storm with pursed lips. She heard more talking going on behind her, but she ignored it and watched as another bolt struck the ground, pretending that it had struck a certain blue-haired maester.

"Rayne." When she spun around, she found Yuna facing her, an unsure look on the young summoner's face, "I… would like to hear your opinion."

"I hate the man and there is something wrong with him and about him." Several gasps, but Rayne just shook her head and placed her hands on Yuna's shoulders, "But, if this is really what you feel you must do, I am beside you, as I always have been and always will be. I'm here for you, baby."

Yuna smiled and nodded, "Thank you."

"But," They turned to Tidus, "Can't you just talk to Seymour? Do you really have to marry him? And you!" He pointed at Rayne, "Aren't you supposed to be a mother-figure? Doesn't that mean you're supposed to try and stop her, whether or not the person she's marrying is Seymour?!"

Rayne shook her head, "It is her decision. Besides, work against Yuna and have her run from me, or support her and be there for her should something happen. Which would you choose?"

Tidus gapped at her, for once at a loss for words. Lulu glanced up the road and pointed, "Macalania is just over that ridge. Let's go."

The group walked on, Yuna noticing that Rayne was drifting in the back, her face blank as she drifted in her thoughts. The young summoner sighed and slowed, joining her guardian in the back, "Rayne?"

"I know how you feel about him, Yuna."

Yuna balked and blinked, "Who?"

Rayne shook her head and looked down at her charge, "Seymour. I know you don't like him, so I know that your decision has noting to do with that. I doubt that it has a lot to do with duty, as well. So, tell me, what is the bulk of your decision based on?"

Yuna looked away, "I am doing what's best for the people of Spi—"

"Don't feed me that line of horseshit." Rayne narrowed her eyes when Yuna looked at her in shock, "The others may be taking that in silence, but I know that this extends beyond duty. What aren't you telling me?"

Yuna bit her lip and glanced down, "I am doing it for Lord Jyscal."

"What?"

The summoner sighed and took out a sphere, "When I sent Lord Jyscal, he left this behind. There is a message on it. It says 'Take care of my son'. As a summoner, it is my duty to deal with the souls of the departed, and this falls into that category. I am fulfilling my duty."

Rayne stared at Yuna, frowning, "Yuna, your duty to Jyscal ended when you sent him. This extends far beyond you, so let the Guado deal with it. I'm not sure how things work out in your head, but Spira's happiness through your marriage and Spira's happiness through your defeat of Sin are two different things. One is a fleeting dream and the other is what is expected of you. Yuna, your only obligated concern is your pilgrimage."

Yuna took all of this in silence, and when Rayne was finished speaking the summoner softly replied, "This is my decision and I will not back down from it."

Silence elapsed between the two, only the muffled chatting of the others ahead of them and the sounds of the storm around them heard. After a moment, Rayne sighed, a bitter smile forming on her face, "As you wish."

"Rayne, I—"

Rayne cut Yuna off with a wave of her hand, "You don't need to explain to me any further, Yuna." She then smiled at the summoner, "It's actually refreshing to have you stand up to me. If this is really what you want then, as I have repeatedly said, I support you. Now, if you'll excuse me…" She picked up her pace and leapt at the dragon fiend that had just appeared, slashing one of its eyes with the sharp arch of her staff.

After a bit, the ground began to rise on an incline, and soon the group came to the edge of the Thunder Plains at a peaked hill. The hill immediately sloped downwards sharply, a crooked and narrow path zigzagging the way down. At the bottom was a shimmering forest, and beyond it snow covered peaks.

Lulu walked to the edge and announced, "The Macalania Forest, home to the Temple of Macalania at the Macalania Lake."

Tidus raised a brow when the announcement was complete, "Well, someone sure liked the name 'Macalania' when they named this place, didn't they?"

Wakka laughed nervously and looked over the edge of the steep hill, "This'll be oodles of fun."

There were several grunts of agreement, followed by Rikku taking the lead and skipping happily away from the Thunder Plains. The rest of the group sighed, some laughing a bit, and followed her, taking it a bit slower than the hyper Al Bhed girl in order to watch their feet so they didn't fall.

As they drew closer to the forest, Rayne noticed something decidedly odd about it. True, she had seen a lot of things in Spira, so she had already learned to expect amazing sights, but when she was close enough to see the forest for what it was, she decided that this topped everything she had seen.

The forest of Macalania was unlike any forest Rayne had ever seen or could ever imagine. The trees were tall and twisted so that it was impossible to see where one ended and another began. The trunks were beautiful shades of deep blue, and the foliage were intermittent shades of dark to light blue, and though little light was coming from the sky, the leaves flashed and glittered in the overcast sun. Upon standing at the very edge of the forest and looking up into the trees, Rayne saw among the branches and nestled into nooks bulbous wine red orbs, shimmering and pulsating.

Gapping, Rayne walked up beside Lulu and whispered, "This forest is…" She dropped of, unable to think of what she was trying to say.

Lulu, though, understood and whispered back, "It is caused by the pyreflies. It's thought that this was once a normal forest, but the pyreflies changed things and the forest was crystallized. Most of these trees had been standing for thousands of years."

Rayne nodded, then asked, "What are those orbs?"

"Seeds. They spend an undefined amount of time developing, then drop to the ground when they become too heavy. There was one record of a seed that sat in a tree for five hundred years before it fell, though it's speculated it was already in the final stages of development."

"Hey." Interrupted a loud voice, causing the two Mages to nearly jump out of their skins, "What you two whisperin' about?" Wakka, who had been grinning widely, shrunk back and cowered when they turned to glare at him.

"Well, Wakka," Rayne hissed, causing the ex-blitzer to shrink even further, "If you really must know, we were contemplating which would be better for your slow and painful torture; the Iron Maiden or the spiked wheel."

"I forgot Rayne, which one was more painful?" Lulu asked, still glaring at Wakka.

Rayne smiled evilly when he looked between them with wide, fearful eyes, "Well, none lived to give a comparison between the two, but I personally favor the Iron Maiden. It's perversely amusing to see a person bleed to death when they've been impaled by numerous rusty barbs."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What did I do?!" Wakka squealed, waving his hands.

Just then, Tidus walked up behind the orange-haired guardian and pulled him back, "Uh, let's go, Wakka. I think I need to explain the concept of 'girl time' to you again."

The two Mages glowered at the two blitzers as they walked away, continuing down the path in silence when they were out of sight. After a few moments, when they were walking alone in the back, Rayne sighed and said to Lulu, "I don't want Yuna to marry him."

Lulu sighed, "None of us do, but—"

"I know, I know; it's Yuna's decision. Still, it doesn't feel right to put up no form of resistance towards her."

"We have, but she's insistent."

Rayne went to sigh, but remembering her recent sighing spree at Guadosalam, growled instead, "If he does anything to her…" She trailed off, her imagination taking over.

Lulu glanced at her questioningly, "I'll admit that Maester Seymour is a bit… odd, but he is a maester of Yevon. What makes you think something will happen?"

Rayne shook her head and sped up a bit, "Just trust me. Be prepared." She then left the younger Mage to her thoughts. Rayne also had her thoughts as she walked deeper into the forest. 'Something is going to happen. Something is doomed to happen. Reality for me or not, this started as a game, and the script writers wouldn't miss out on an opportunity to put in a plot twist. This would be the perfect opportunity for one. Something will happen.'

Further into the forest, the main road split into a crossroads, the left leading into the shadowed wild forest and the right leading to a light. The road to the left was guarded by two familiar faces.

"I am sorry," Lucil saluted, "But this road is currently unavailable."

Yuna smiled and shook her head, "It's alright. We need to go to Macalania Temple before Bevelle."

Elma smiled and bowed, "I heard you are to be wed to Maester Seymour. Is it true?"

Yuna faltered, then forced a smile and bowed back, "It is."

The two Chocobo Knights exchanged jovial glances, then turned back to Yuna and smiled widely, "Congratulations!"

A few more pleasantries were exchanged, then the group returned to the fork and took the right road. As soon as Tidus stepped onto the right fork he was bombarded by a flurry of blades, which oddly enough turned out to be the feet of a limber fiend. Tidus stumbled back and fell onto the ground, where he was immediately covered by Auron and Kimahri and Yuna knelt beside him and began healing him.

Wakka attacked from the side, Rayne and Lulu standing behind him. Rayne cocked her head and asked her fellow Mage, "What do we use on this thing?"

Lulu frowned and crossed her arms, her brows furrowing when the fiend unleashed another bladed flurry, "I'm… not entirely sure. I don't think 'Fire' or 'Water' would work."

"Shall we alternate between 'Blizzard' and 'Thunder', then?"

The younger Mage nodded, "At least until we find out which is more effective." Wakka yelped and crashed into them as the fiend smacked him with the flat of its blade. Lulu recovered first, her eyes flashing as she pushed Wakka back to his feet and pointed at the fiend. "Blizzara!"

The fiend growled and shied away, but was otherwise largely unharmed. Lulu snarled and tugged Wakka back, dropping the stunned guardian on the ground and shouting, "Rayne! 'Thunder'!"

Rayne nodded and waved her hand, shouting, "Thundara!"

This time, the fiend screeched and fell onto its side, writhing and thrashing. Rikku and Tidus ran forward, both of them combining their efforts to deal a heavy blow to the fiends head. The fiend seized up, then relaxed and melted into pyreflies.

After a few moments of panting, Tidus straightened and turned back to the group, "Do you think this forest will be easy to pass through?"


	24. The Forest of Macalania

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(The Forest of Macalania)

"If you use 'Flee' one more time, you won't have to worry about the fiends finishing you off!"

"I don't understand why we can't just run from them!"

"Because, you fool, you need the experience!"

"Why can't we just get the experience later?!"

"It will be twice as hard to beat the fiends later! It gets harder as it goes! You can either stand and fight, or I'll make sure you stay unconscious until we get to the Temple!"

"Ha! You don't fight the fast fiends for a reason, old man!"

"You want to come closer and say that?"

"Will you two stop it?!" Rayne screamed.

After an hour of walking through the forest, the group had been engaged in almost fifty battles. It was tiring everyone out rapidly, but they all knew that they needed the training. Everyone, that is, except Tidus. Twenty minutes into battling, he managed to distract a fiend and drag Yuna away from the battle, leading to everyone following. This gradually grew more and more frequent, and soon Tidus was 'Flee'ing from every encounter.

This, of course, lead to Auron getting more and more ticked off. And this lead to their current argument. And this lead to everyone becoming extremely short with each other. And this, above all, lead to Rayne lashing out at Tidus and Auron.

Auron turned and scowled at her, "Quit coming to his defense."

Rayne groaned and rolled her eyes, "I wasn't defending him, Auron, I told both of you to shut up!"

"Actually," Tidus crossed his arms, "You told us to stop it."

Rayne turned to him and glared, "You think you're so smart for pointing out the difference, don't you, rooster?"

"Please!"

The three stopped and turned to Yuna, who was standing with her legs spread and her hands clenched at her sides. The young summoner blinked and straightened herself, breathing out and calmly repeating, "Please. Please, just stop. We're all stressed, tired, and hungry. So, how about we set up camp soon and Rayne can fix us something to eat, alright?"



"Lady Rayne, I had no idea you could cook!"

Rayne looked at Wakka, exasperated, "Jeez, Wakka, Lulu and I have only been splitting cooking duties for the past eight years."

Wakka laughed and scratched the back of his head, "Oh, really? Hehe."

Rayne rolled her eyes and looked over the rest of the camp. To her right, Tidus was gulping down his stew with disturbing speed. To her left, Yuna was quietly sipping hers, a pensive look on her face. Wakka was practically inhaling his, Lulu had eaten as much as she could bear and was watching Wakka with a disgusted stare, Rikku joining her. Kimahri had refused the stew and stuck with eating a chunk of partially cooked meat. And, across from Rayne, Auron was looking down at his bowl, obviously a bit skeptical.

"Are you sure this is edible?"

Everyone stopped eating and stared at Auron, eyes wide. Rayne pursed her lips and dropped her spoon, setting her bowl down on a rock and clasping her hands. "Is there a problem, Auron?"

Auron sighed, poking at the broth, "I'm just… a bit hesitant."

Rayne quirked a brow, "Wow, I had no clue that legendary guardians could be such picky eaters."

"I'm not a picky eater," Auron growled, "I just… I didn't know that that kind of fiend could be eaten."

"And to be honest, neither did I."

He froze and stared at her, "What?"

Rayne smirked and rested her chin on her hands, "Yep. That's why I had Tidus try it first. He wasn't dead five minutes after he tasted it, so I assumed that it was safe."

Tidus began sputtering and Auron set his bowl aside. "I'm not hungry."

Rayne twitched, then lowered her hands and glared at him, "Like hell you aren't, now pick up that bowl and eat the damn stew." When he didn't move, she raised one of her hand and twisted her wrist, a loud crackling pop sounding and a spark igniting, "Do I need to persuade you further?"

Auron grumbled and picked up his bowl, stealing a hesitant glance at Rayne before taking a spoonful and swallowing. He grimaced, but covered it up with a sneeze, and though Rayne noticed his face, she wasn't able to call him on it before he had disguised it.

An uneasy silence settled over the camp, and Tidus became fidgety at the frigid air between Auron and Rayne. After a few uncomfortable moments, Tidus broke the silence with a question, "So, what kind of fiend is this?"

Rayne took another sip of her soup, staring at Tidus while she swallowed. She then asked, "You really want to know?"

The young swordsman paused, glancing at Yuna. The young summoner had turned away and was laughing silently, so Tidus had no choice but to hesitantly reply, "Yyyeah…"

Rayne smirked, "Chimera." At that, the whole group dropped their spoons and set their bowls down, causing Rayne to laugh.

Tidus gagged and sputtered, "Chimera?!"

"Hey! Newbie!" Tidus looked at Wakka, who glared at him pointedly, "First rule when Lu, and apparently Rayne, cooks fiend; Don't ask what it is. Nobody wants to know, brudda, we just wanna eat it."

Tidus's jaw dropped, "You've never asked?!"

"Tidus, let me put it this way," Rayne looked at him pointedly and quirked a brow, "Do you want to know when you're eating blorba?"

The young swordsman paled and looked at his bowl, his face taking a slight green tint. Wakka patted Tidus on the back and shook his head, "Just accept it, T, there's nothing you can do. Just eat and forget."

Later that night, after she was sure everyone was asleep, Rayne slipped out of her bed and slinked into the forest. She hadn't changed into her night clothes, but as she slipped out of camp she didn't bother to grab her jacket, staff, or bags. 'Just a stroll to clear my head.'

Ten minutes into her walk, Rayne came into a clearing that gave off an ethereal glow, dotted with numerous seed pods that pulsed in sync. 'This looks good.'

While the group was walking, Rayne had thought about the occurrence when on Mushroom Rock Road, when she had heard her brother speak. '_Rayne, that had better be you._'

She sighed. 'Was that really you, Michael? And if it was, can I talk to you like you did me?'

Rayne sat in the center of the clearing and closed her eyes, sighing before slowing her breathing. 'Michael…' Breathing in and out slowly, she let her mind drift away from her body and back to what she remembered of her home.

The house in the middle of the grasslands…

Her library with the broken lock…

The hyperactive lab mix, Rex…

Her lackluster bedroom with the built-in bookshelves…

The living room with the widescreen television she had only used once…

The black PlayStation sitting in front of the TV…

Her brother, sitting there now, playing the game…

Could he see her now? …

_Michael?_

She sat in silence, waiting for a reply, hoping something would happen. But nothing did. Rayne must have sat for ten minutes, letting the same thoughts flash through her head; the thoughts of her home, and the call to her brother. And, for ten minutes, nothing happened. It was really ticking her off.

_Damn it, Michael, answer me!_

Still nothing.

_Michael. Answer. Now._

Nada.

_Don't you ignore me!_

Noth— wait! … Nope, false alarm. Nothing.

_MICHAEL!!!_

"Rayne?"

"Michael?!" Rayne's eyes snapped open, but it wasn't Michael. "Oh… sorry."

Yuna cocked her head and sat beside her maternal guardian. "Michael?"

Rayne scratched the back of her head, "I… I was trying to call my brother."

"Ah." Yuna sat back, looking thoughtful. "Um… how were you going to call him?"

"Well…" Rayne sighed, "You see… my brother… spoke to me a while ago."

Yuna blinked, "Spoke to you?"

Rayne lowered her head and shook it, "Well, he didn't exactly speak to me. More like he made a comment about me, and I heard him." She looked at Yuna and gave a lopsided smile, "Crazy, right?"

The young summoner smiled and shook her head, "I believe that when it comes to bonds between family members, there are no limits."

The guardian smiled and leaned her head against Yuna's shoulder, "Thanks, baby."

Yuna smiled, then shifted her position to sit right in front of Rayne, "So, how about we try to call you brother?" When Rayne blinked, Yuna laughed, "Remember, summoners act as the bridge between this world and the next. Perhaps this can be true for your world, as well."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

Yuna smiled again, "You aren't from Spira, are you? You aren't even from Zanarkand. You're from somewhere completely different."

Rayne froze, then shook her head and sighed, "How long have you known?"

"My father left a message for me with Kimahri. He gave it to me the day I decided to become a summoner. He suspected that Sin might be able to send you home. But, your odd behavior at times didn't exactly help to disguise your situation."

Rayne leaned back and sighed, "Sin won't help."

"Well, we won't know for sure until we get there. Now," Yuna shifted a bit and settled down, "Face me, and try again."

Rayne nodded and shifted to face Yuna, then crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes, clearing her mind and focusing on the images of her home and her call. 'Michael…' She then heard Yuna's voice enter her mind, and heard her sing.

"Ieyui...

Nobomenu...

Renmiri...

Yojuyogo...

Hasatekanae…

Kutamae…"

'Michael…'

There was a pause, the Hymn still in its loop. She felt herself drift away from the material world and opened her eyes to find herself in a foggy expanse. Rayne looked around herself, 'Michael?'

Nothing.

Then, she heard a faint reply.

'_Rayne?_'

'Michael?!' She turned and found him staring at her, an unsure look on his face.

He took a hesitant step forward. '_Rayne? Sis?!_'

Rayne smiled widely and ran towards him. 'Mike!' She stopped before she could touch him, afraid of breaking the link.

Michael returned her smile. '_Ray… So, it really is you… Right?_'

She nodded, then shuffled her feet and began to talk, 'Mike… Listen… I—' She then stopped when she noticed something weird. Michael's outline was fading.

He crackled like television static, his voice a bit distorted. '_Rayne? Sis? You're breaking up!_'

'What? NO! DAMN IT, NO! I JUST GOT THIS RIGHT!' Rayne began to look around desperately, searching for anything to help.

Michael's form shattered, his voice coming through in bits. '_Sor…y…n't… hear…don'…up! Cal… ack!_'

"MICHAEL!!!!" Rayne's eyes snapped open and she shot forward, grabbing Yuna's shoulders, "BRING HIM BACK!"

Yuna gasped, her breath coming short and ragged, "I—'m so-ry… ca-nt ag-in…" Yuna cut off and fell forward, gasping and coughing.

Rayne let go of her shoulders and jumped to Yuna's side, throwing her arms around the summoner's chest and stomach to support her, "Yu? Hun, breath. Slow and steady; in and out."

In between her coughing fits, Yuna managed to get a few gasping breaths, trying to calm her breathing. After a few minutes, she stopped coughing and got a few more breaths into her gasping. When she was settled enough to support herself, Rayne backed away and watched Yuna worriedly.

"You alright?"

Yuna nodded and replied in a raspy voice, "I'm alright." She coughed lightly.

Rayne sighed, "What happened?"

"The connection was more than likely unstable. It was between worlds, after all."

Rayne shook her head, slightly disappointed. She hadn't been expecting much because, as Yuna had pointed out, it was an interdimensional connection and they were lucky to have gotten what they had. Still, to have such a short connection with her brother after so long was rather depressing.

"Rayne?"

She shook her head, "It's alright, Yuna, I'm impressed you got what you did. It did work, and I did hear him, and I am glad for that. Thank you." She then flashed a disarming smile and asked serenely, "Are you ready to head back to camp?"

Yuna blinked, then smiled and nodded. Back in camp, Rayne watched Yuna slip into her mat silently, then curled up on her own.

After a few moments of silence, Rayne curled up even tighter and let out a shuddering sigh. 'Michael…' Her eyes stung and she felt bile in the back of her throat, but before she could properly cry she drifted off to sleep.


	25. Michael's Strife

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Michael's Strife)

Michael sighed and saved the game, turning it off when Rayne was asleep. He wasn't entirely sure how, but Rayne, with Yuna's help, had somehow managed to contact him. Though the contact had been brief and they weren't able to actually say anything to each other, it had been worth every moment.

He was sure, now more than ever, that she was his little sister. Though the Rayne who had spoken to him in the connection was older than she should be and wearing Spiran clothes like she was in the game, there was no doubt in his mind right now that she was his lost sister, and he was happy to have any form of contact with her.

He stared at the PlayStation forlornly, wishing to continue to play and see more of her. But, instead of pressing the red button to continue the fantasy, he stood and walked into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water.

As far as he could tell, several days had passed in the game, possibly a few weeks. But, to him, he had only been playing the game for ten or fifteen-something-odd hours. Taking that into perspective, he could easily understand why she was ten years older than she was supposed to be. And, seeing as she knew Auron and taking into account the scattered information from conversations, he had long since come to the conclusion that she had held some part in the pilgrimage of Yuna's father, Braska.

Michael paused when that thought came to mind, "Auron…" He then scowled and downed his water.

That man and his sister seemed to have a closer relationship than that of battle comrades. Michael didn't like that.

Oh, sure, he trusted Rayne's judgment, and Auron seemed like a nice enough guy, but that didn't stop Michael from feeling a bit… odd about it.

Michael sighed again, then jumped as the phone rang. He picked up the phone from the counter and pressed the 'Talk' button, "City morgue, you kill 'em we chill 'em, how can I help you?"

He heard a laugh, "Hey, bud, it's me."

Michel shook his head and laughed, "'Sup, Seb?"

The man, Seb, sniffed, "Nothin', man. Nothin' at all, which is the damned problem! Where the hell are ya?"

Michael sighed, "I already told you guys I'm—"

"'Doin' work for your dad', I know. Listen, Mike, you are never M.I.A. for days on end just to do stuff for your old man. Seriously, Mike, the frick?"

Taking a seat, Michael put the phone on speaker and sighed again, setting his head in his hands, "I know, Sebastian, I know, and I'm sorry. You're right, it's not all stuff for my old man, but it's just as important, if not more so."

Sebastian fell silent, then asked in a low voice, "Is this more of that 'Rayne' shit?" When Michael didn't reply, Seb swore, "Damn it, Mike, I thought you were done with that! Look, I don't know what happened to you, but you don't have a sister! You're an only child, and if you had a twin, then your parents, if anyone, would remember. But even they said …"

Michael growled, "Said what? That I'm crazy? Go on, Seb, you can say it. I know you're all thinking it." Sebastian didn't say anything, so Michael went on. "Listen, Seb, I know. Damn it, don't I know. But I'm telling you, she was real, I'm not making her up. Seb, please, I need someone to believe me."

There was a sigh, then Seb said, "Alright, alright. Say I do believe you, Mike, then what the hell happened to her?"

Michael froze, then dropped his head on the counter and mumbled miserably, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

After another pause, Michael spoke, "Seb, do you believe in the impossible?"

"What?"

Staring at his hands, Michael continued, "Do you believe in the impractical? Do you think that there are things in this world that can't be explained? That there are things beyond explanation and comprehension? Do you believe in the possibility of other worlds?"

Seb haltingly asked, "Like… you mean aliens?"

Michael sighed, "No, I mean like parallel universes. Worlds like ours, but different. Sometimes only slightly different, sometimes monumentally different. Do you believe in them?"

Seb whistled, "Dude, if I wanted to hear a seminar on quantum physics, I'd have gone to Professor Tulare's last Friday. So, do you think that you got sucked into one of these 'parallel universes'?"

Michael shook his head though Seb couldn't see him, "No, Seb, I think she was."

There was a pause, then Seb asked, "How do you know that she did?"

Michael glanced at the PlayStation, "Because, I've seen her in the world she's now in."

"The fick?"

Michael sighed and shook his head, "Come over tomorrow around noon and I'll show you. But come alone and don't tell anyone."

Seb sighed, "Alright, I'll be there." He paused, then asked, "Mike, what makes you so sure that she's real, even after everyone told you she's not?"

He only had to think about it for a second, "She's my sister, Seb, and nothing anyone can or will tell me will erase her. See you tomorrow." He hung up.

Michael stared at the phone for a moment, then dialed a number and waited.

"Hello?"

Michael smiled when he heard her voice, "Hey, Heather."

He heard her smile, "Hey, Mike. How are you? That work's not giving you too much trouble, is it?"

Michael laughed, "Not at all. I'm actually done for the night, so I wanted to call you."

Heather laughed, "That's so sweet of you."

They both laughed together, Michael trailing off weakly. There was a moment of silence, followed by Michael asking, "Hey, Heather? Can I ask your opinion on something?"

"Sure, sweetie."

He paused, trying to think of a good way to word it, "Okay, so one of my little cousins likes this guy…"

Heather asked, "How old is she?"

"Our age, actually. I just call her my little cousin because she's younger than me."

He could practically see her nodding, switching into her supportive girlfriend/psychiatrist mode, "Alright, go on. What's the problem? Is it the guy?"

Michael sighed, "No. I've never really met him, but I've seen him around and I've heard a lot about him, and he seems to be a nice guy and all, but…"

"'But' what?"

Michael groaned, "Oh, I don't know. There's just something about him that…" He trailed off.

Heather laughed, "Let me ask this; if she didn't like him, would you like him any better?"

He thought about it, "I guess I might."

Heather laughed again, "Sounds like you're just being protective. I know that before you and I started dating, my dad thought you were an okay guy. Then, after you asked me out the first time, he went psycho and started listing all of your bad traits. Don't worry, though; the list wasn't long. Anyway, for a while, my dad didn't like you too much, either."

Michael sighed, "I'm just being protective? That's it?"

"Yep. That's about it, hun. Don't worry, it'll go away after a while. You just need to accept it. Now, tell me, does the guy return her feelings?"

Michael thought about it, "I think so. The dude's really introverted, so it's kinda hard to tell, but he does seem a bit more open around her. He's also marginally nicer to her than he is to other people, and he is protective of her…"

Rachel laughed, "He sounds a bit eccentric."

Michael coughed indignantly, "You should see how he dresses. The guy's a walking stoplight."

She laughed, "That red, huh?"

"Yeah." They shared another laugh, Michael trailing off weakly again.

"Mike?"

"Yeah, Heath?"

She paused, "You know… that you can trust me with anything, right?"

Michael blinked, "Of course, babe."

She sighed, "I know something is bothering you, but I want you to tell me when you're ready. I'm here for you, and I'll listen to anything."

Michael smiled bitterly, "But would you believe?"

"… For you."

He deadpanned.

"Michael? Is something wrong?"

He laughed and smiled, "I just love you, that's all."

She smiled and laughed, "And I you."

Michael shook his head, "I'll tell you… eventually."

"And I'll wait."

He shook his head again, "I don't deserve you."

"You're probably right." They shared another laugh. She then yawned, "Is there anything else, sweetie?"

"Nah. I'll just let you go. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Dial tone.

Michael sighed and set the phone back into the cradle, looking at the time on the microwave. '11:56' He stood and walked back into the living room, laying down on the sofa and staring at the television.

'Sis… what can we do? How can we get you out?'

Michael shook his head and clapped his hands, the lights turning off and the room falling into darkness. 'No matter what, Rayne, I will help you get back home.'



With some anxiety, Michael opened the door and greeted his red-haired, grey-eyed friend, "Sebastian, my man! Come on in."

Seb shook his head slowly and walked in, "Cut the funny shit, man, and lay it to me straight."

Michael sighed, "Follow me." He lead Sebastian into the living room and sat in front of the TV. "Grab yourself some carpet."

A bit confused, Seb sat and watched his friend set up the PlayStation, "You called me over here to play a game? What does this have to do with your 'sister'?"

When the game had loaded it started right off with a cut scene. "Seb, look at the screen and watch." They both watched the scene play out, then Michael brought up the menu screen and opened it to Rayne's stats. He then turned to his friend.

Sebastian stared at the screen, face blank. "Tell me what I'm lookin' at here, Mike."

Michael sighed, "Seb, meet my sister."

There was a moment of tense silence, followed by Sebastian abruptly jumping to his feet. He began to pace the room rapidly, a strained look on his face, "Mike, the only reason I haven't walked out the front door right now is because you're my friend." Seb stopped pacing and ran a hand through his hair, "Damn it, Mike! What the hell are you thinking?!"

"She's my—"

"No." Seb tersely cut him off. "She," He pointed to the picture of Rayne on the screen, "Is a game character. She isn't real. And, on top of that, she is way too old to be your 'twin' sister. She isn't real, Mike!"

Michael jumped to his feet, "She is real! She is my sister!" The more he tried to convince his friend of this, though, the more unsure he became.

Sebastian sighed and grabbed his friends shoulders firmly, "Mike, that is a game, and an old one at that. There are guides for it all over the internet, and there are probably a dozen character bios for that character. There are probably even spoilers for what happens to her. Come on, let's go into your dad's office and I'll show you."

As Seb led him to the office, Michael began to seriously doubt what he had previously believed to be the truth. 'He's right. The game is old, so there are others who have played it, and others who have beaten it before. Her fate has already been played out millions of times by millions of people.'

In the office, Seb sat behind the computer and booted it up, opening the internet connection and entering the address for a search engine. Once he was there, he typed in 'FFX' and hit the enter button. Michael watched as millions of results turned up, running on for pages and pages. He took the mouse from Seb's hand and clicked on the first website, watching numbly as it loaded.

Partway through the loading, though, something odd happened. A box appeared on the screen, the words 'MECHANICAL ERROR' flashing inside it in bold red words. The computer whirred loudly, several loud beeps sounding from the back of the monitor and even louder ones issuing from the tower. Seb tried vainly to turn the computer off, and as he reached for the power cord, the screen went white and a figure in purple appeared on it.

"You can't read a story before it's written, Michael."

Michael and Sebastian watched shocked as the person faded and only the white screen was left. Then the screen went black and the whirring stopped for a second, only to resume as the computer rebooted and the screen returned to the internet homepage.

"Okay Michael, let's say, for a moment, that you're right," Seb turned to Michael, "How do we get her back?"

Michael shook his head slowly, "Finish the story."



After a bit of arguing and compromising, Michael agreed to sit back and allow Sebastian play the game for a bit.

"You've been playing for two days straight, Mike!" Seb sat on the floor and cracked his knuckles, "Time for game savvy Seb to give it a shot!"

Michael rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Seb. But, no matter what happens, do not get a Game Over. I'll kill you, myself, if you kill Rayne."

Seb waved at him, "Yeah, yeah, I get the picture, Mike, no need to get your panties in a bunch. Just sit back and watch a pro!"

Seb picked up the remote and hit the 'Start' button, taking the game off of pause and resuming in Macalania.



Rayne felt a jolt and looked around herself confusedly. That was the second odd feeling she had gotten that morning. The first, she assumed, was from the game being taken off 'Pause', but the second, which came shortly after the first, felt odder. It reminded her of something vaguely familiar, and decidedly unpleasant. As a matter of fact, it actually reminded her of someone she knew from a long while back. Where they Spiran? Or Earthen?

"Rayne! Coming?!"

Rayne shook her head to clear her thoughts, then nodded to Tidus, "Sorry, brain went foggy. Go on, I'm right behind you!" She then shook herself one final time, then ran a bit to catch up with the group, reflecting a bit more on her already odd day.

Michael had stopped playing the game for a bit, that much she knew. Immediately after she had fallen asleep, she had gone back to the white place and was in the company of a fayth. Unfortunately, it wasn't Bahamut, but the old mariner, who turned out to be Ixion. It also turned out that Ixion didn't like Rayne too much, so the conversation was rather lacking.

Rayne shook her thoughts off when she saw a familiar face running at them, looking distressed. "Barthello?"

He heard her and stopped, panting, "Have you seen Dona?"

Tidus crossed his arms and shook his head, "Nope. What happened?"

The muscle-bound guardian groaned, "We were separated." He clutched his head and cried out, "What am I going to do?! If anything happened to her, I—"

"Calm down." Barthello looked up at Auron, who walked forward, "You won't be able to do anything if you panic. First guard your emotions, then guard your summoner."

The guardian glanced at Rayne, who nodded, "You panic and the adrenalin distorts your senses. If you really want to find her then stop, take a few deep breaths, clear your mind, then search calmly and thoroughly."

Barthello looked between them, then breathed deeply and collected himself, "Your right."

Auron nodded approvingly, "Shall we help you search?"

The guardian shook his head, "No, I've taken up too much of your time. Thank you, Sir Auron and Lady Rayne." That said, Barthello walked passed them and into the forest.

Rayne glanced at Auron, "Summoner regardless, he makes a decent guardian."

Auron nodded and turned to the group, "Let's move on."


	26. Macalania Lake

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Macalania Lake)

After a few fiend battles and a bit of walking, the group came to a crossroads. Lulu sighed and smiled, "The road to Macalania Lake. We'll be out of the forest soon."

Auron stopped the group at a cluster of trees. "Wait." He glanced at Tidus, "There is something you should see."

Yuna looked between them, "Um, Sir Auron?"

He nodded in her direction, "It won't take long." When Yuna nodded, Auron hefted his sword from its sheath and began to hack and slash at the trees, making a path. When he was done, his path led to a hidden clearing that had a bubbling pool in the back. It was too the pool that he led the two young teens, leaving the others to meander in the back. Unperturbed, Rayne sat to the side and watched.

Auron had just finished explaining that the pool was the liquefied substance of spheres when an opaque area in the back of the pool jiggled and rose into the air. Auron shook his head, "It is also a gathering place for fiends."

Rayne rolled her eyes and unsheathed her staff, "You couldn't have warned us beforehand?"

The viscous fiend, though, gave no chance for an answer, and floated forward, suddenly solidifying further and pounding Tidus into the ground. Tidus stumbled back to his feet and teetered, staring at the fiend with wide eyes, "That HURT!"

Rayne dodged one of the fiend's attacks and shouted, "Beware! The jell-o has bite!"

Auron huffed, "Not for long." He then ran forward and slashed the fiend, growling when it was unfazed, "Looks like this is a battle for our Mages."

Lulu waved her hand and yelled, "Thundara!"

The fiend juggled violently, then retaliated with a 'Thunder' attack of its own.

Rayne took a hit, then yelled, "Thundara!" To her dismay, the fiend seemed to recover quite a bit.

Tidus noticed this and pushed Yuna out of the way of an attack and screamed, "What the?"

Rayne shook her head, "Elemental shift! You melee attackers equipped yourselves with element strike weapons and find the element its weak against for Lulu and I, then we'll attack!"

They fought like this for a bit, and when Rayne saw that Tidus's Brotherhood worked, she yelled out, "Hold, Lulu! Hey, Yuna!" When Yuna called back, Rayne shouted, "Is Ixion's overdrive charged?"

"Yes!"

Rayne nodded, keeping her eyes on the fiend, "Then take the point!"

Yuna ran forward while the others ran back, waving her staff and calling forth the giant unicorn. "Thor's Hammer!"

Ixion unleashed his lightning attack and the fiend began to shake and jiggle violently, the odd apparatus in the center whirring and exploding. The rest of the fiend shuddered and a series of mini explosions went off inside of it, the fiend's body finally breaking down into pyreflies.

From the center of the pyreflies fell a blue object, and with Auron pushing his back, Tidus walked forward and picked it up. What he brought back to the group was a sphere, faded with obvious age.

Wakka shook his head, "Whoa, that's old!"

Rikku fingered it a bit, "Not sure you can play it back."

"Jecht left it here ten years ago." The group gasped and Tidus looked at Auron with wide eyes. Auron nodded, "Play it back."

Everyone gathered around and looked into the sphere, watching as bits of the recollection of Braska's pilgrimage played back, narrated by the three stooges. Rayne shook her head at a few parts, "You guys were like that even before I met you?"

Auron grumbled and elbowed her side, "Shh."

Near the end, the scene switched to Jecht sitting in the very clearing they were in, talking directly to Tidus. Rayne backed away out of respect and walked back to the entrance, waiting for the others to join her. After listening to a bit of what Jecht had to say, the others backed away as well, leaving only Yuna to stand beside Tidus.

Many emotions flashed across Tidus's face, and when the sphere was finished he looked drained. Rayne shook her head and gestured for the others to go on ahead. Yuna put a consoling hand on Tidus's shoulder, then walked off to join the rest of the group as they left.

When only Tidus, Auron, and Rayne remained, Auron said, "Tidus, Jecht loved you."

Tidus shook his head as if to shoo away a fly and mumbled, "Oh, come on."

Auron continued as if he had never been interrupted, "He just didn't know how to express it, he said."

Tidus groaned and turned to Rayne, "Could you get him to stop with the mushy stuff?"

Rayne shook her head and sighed, "I would if it weren't true. He did love you, and he really was lacking in the expression department." She smiled and chuckled, "He couldn't even tell it to me straight. Here, look," She pulled her letter out of her sleeve and flipped it to the part Jecht had written about Tidus, "It tells me right here that he cares for and worries about you. Directly from the hand of Jecht."

Tidus looked at the letter and frowned, then backed away slowly with a pensive look on his face. Auron grabbed Rayne's elbow, "Take your time." He then led her to the exit pathway. He stopped her on the middle of the path and looked back at Tidus. "Do you suppose he will accept it?"

Rayne shrugged her arm out of Auron's grasp and looked back at the confused boy, crossing her arms, "I know that it sounds a bit unreasonable, but give him a bit more time. It's not like his hatred of Jecht was something short-lived; he allowed it to incubate for ten years, and probably a few more than that. All we can do is… give him time and wait."

Auron thought for a moment, then nodded, "Perhaps." He then glanced at her, "Just so you know, that fiend, the Semimorph, was a trigger I set a while ago. Now that it has been defeated and that first sphere has been watched, more will be revealed all over Spira."

Rayne sighed, "So I take it we have to find all of them?"

Auron shook his head, "Not necessarily. We won't be able to get the ones we already passed."

She glanced at him, brows quirked, "You didn't think much into that plan, did you?"

He chuckled and shrugged, "It was a bit… rushed."

"Alright," Rayne turned to face him, her hand on her hip, "Why do I need to know this?"

"Because I need you to tell him." Auron raised his hands and shook his head when she glared at him, "He'd just get mad at me if I did. He's more ticked off at me for knowing more than I let on than he is you, so he'll probably take it more to heart if you tell him. Besides," He chuckled, "Did you not say that you wanted to know more of what I knew?"

Rayne sighed and rolled her eyes, then pushed Auron down the path, "Go on, then, and I'll tell him. We'll be there momentarily." As Auron walked away, Rayne turned back to Tidus and watched him. He had a mixture of emotions running across his face, with sadness and confusion being two of the prominent ones. She sighed and walked over to him, "You alright?"

Tidus snapped out of it and shook his head, "Huh? Oh, yeah, right. I'm… fine." He then sighed and looked down at the sphere. "It's just…"

Rayne tilted her head, "Confusing?" He sighed and she nodded, "I can imagine it is. Jecht had an odd way of showing his emotions."

Tidus laughed bitterly, "Yeah, I guess."

Rayne paused, then sighed, "Hey, you know that isn't the only sphere he left you." He stared at her with wide eyes and she nodded, "That fiend wasn't here coincidentally. It was a trigger, and when it was defeated, all of Jecht's other spheres were revealed. We might find more as we go along, and things might become clearer to you."

Tidus looked at her skeptically, "How do you know that?"

Rayne smirked and headed out of the clearing, "That's for me to know and you to loose hours of sleep over trying to figure out."

Tidus gapped at her, then shook his head and ran after her. "H-hey! Wait up!"

When they arrived back at the path, they found the rest of the group waiting for them. Yuna looked between them hesitantly, "Is everything…"

Rayne nodded, "It's just fine. Now, onward to the Temple!"

As the shadows of the forest faded and the air became colder, so did Rayne's resolve to not harass Yuna waver. "Are you completely sure that you need this aeon?" Rayne questioned for the umpteenth time.

Yuna sighed and nodded, "Yes."

Rayne continued as if she had never heard her, "Because if all else fails, we could always kill Auron. I'm sure that he could make a perfectly acceptable aeon."

Yuna shook her head, "Rayne…"

She just continued, "I mean, sure, there is that whole thing about the person having to be willing, but if we got Auron really drunk…"

"Rayne."

"…And then you just add a pinch of the juice, and -bang!- you've got yourself a perfectly acceptable hallucinogenic! We could get him to agree to anything! Wait… do you even have poppy flowers here?"

"Rayne!" Rayne stopped talking and Yuna sighed, "Please."

Rayne blinked and whined, "But…" Yuna threw her a strained look and Rayne sighed, "Alright. I'll stop…" Yuna sighed contentedly and sped up a bit, leaving Rayne behind. When she was sure that the summoner was out of earshot, Rayne muttered, "For now."

All around them the forest was gradually lighting up with a soft glow and the air was becoming chillier and chillier. Everyone began to pull their clothes tighter around themselves, and Rayne found herself zipping up her jacket. The trees gradually began to thin, revealing an off-white sky. Rayne's eyes widened when a small speck of what seemed to be fluff floated down in front of her.

When another floated down, Rayne reached out and pinched it between her fingers, eyes widening and a small yelp escaping her throat when the tips of her fingers were bit with the cold. "Is this… snow?"

Lulu laughed when Rayne looked at her fingers and found them wet, "Yes, it is. Macalania Lake is known for its pure, never melting snow. You've never seen snow before?"

Rayne's gaze remained transfixed on the sky and she grabbed another snowflake, "It's too warm where I'm from to snow. I've seen what it looks like, but I've never seen it in real life. It's so… cold."

Tidus gapped at her, "You've never seen snow?!"

Yuna looked at her, curious to know more about Rayne's home, "What was your home like?"

Rayne continued to look at the sky as a look of reminiscence glazed her eyes, "We lived far away from the nearest town, in a sea of grass. During the summers, golden waves reached out around us endlessly. During the spring, everything was tinted in a green haze, and the skies were always clear and blue…" She trailed off softly, her voice having gradually trailed off during her final sentence.

Yuna smiled, "It sounds nice."

Rayne sighed and smiled, the glaze leaving her eyes, "I couldn't have asked for a better childhood home."

"We should go and see it sometime!" The two looked back at Tidus, who was smiling and nodding enthusiastically, "Yeah! When we beat Sin, we'll go see your home, and you can introduce us to your brother. We'll all go! Wouldn't that be fun, Auron?" Tidus asked as he elbowed the red guardian.

Auron just grumbled and moved away from him a bit, refusing to acknowledge him. Tidus scoffed, "Grouchy." He then looked at the others, "Wouldn't it be cool to see where Rayne comes from, you guys?"

When no one would answer or look at him, Tidus stopped walking. "Hey? What did I do?"

Choking back her tears, Rayne stopped and looked back at Tidus, planting a smile on her face, "Ignore them. They're Yevonites, so they're probably having a hard time grasping the concept of travel through space and time. I… I would love for you all to come and see my home… after we've beaten Sin." She then faced forward again, clenching her hands and gritting her teeth, her eyes stinging. She coughed and said brightly, "Let's go, everyone! I think we're almost to the lake." Not waiting for a reply, she walked on.

Not much later, they walked out of the trees completely and emerged from a wide rocky crevice. Rayne stopped and let her mouth drop open, and a chuckling Auron walked up beside her, "Welcome to Macalania Lake."

Rayne looked down upon the frozen tundra, eyes wide, "Where's the lake?"

Lulu walked up beside her, "Your looking at it." When Lulu noticed the confused look on Rayne's face, she continued, "The lake has been frozen for thousands of years beneath a thick sheet of permafrost."

Rayne looked back at the tundra, "Permafrost."

Tidus walked up beside Lulu with his hand raised in the air, "What's permafrost?"

Not looking away from the ice, Rayne answered, "A thick sheet of ice that never melts."

Tidus lowered his hand, "I thought you didn't know about this stuff?"

Rayne sighed and walked backwards onto the path, "Not seeing is not the same as not knowing. Just because I've never seen snow doesn't mean I've never read about it. Jeez, Tidus, it's called a library, does Zanarkand not have them?"

Tidus spun around and was about to snap when Auron cut him off with a chuckle, "Zanarkand has plenty of them, he just never went to one."

Rayne rolled her eyes and continued towards the lake, "Sad."

Further down the road, the group cheered when they arrived at another of Rin's rest stops. Rikku ran inside and, before the door could close, the group heard her scream, "It's so warm!"

Laughing and shaking their heads, Yuna, Lulu, and Wakka followed her in, followed by Kimahri and Auron, followed by Tidus, who paused and looked back at Rayne, who had stopped. "What's up?"

Rayne stuffed her hands into her pockets and nodded to something at the side of the building. Tidus reluctantly walked back outside and looked over to what she was gesturing to. "Hey! Clasko!"

The Knight looked up from the chocobo he was tending to and smiled, "Tidus! Lady Rayne! What a pleasant surprise." The chocobo squawked and Clasko immediately turned back to it, "Oh, sorry! What? You want me to scratch you? Alright, boy!" He then reached up and started scratching the chocobo's neck, the chocobo squealing as he did.

"Wow, you're really good when it comes to understanding chocobo's, aren't you?"

At this point, Rayne turned and walked into the rest stop, confident that Tidus would say what he needed to. When the door opened, Rayne was greeted by a welcomed rush of warm air. She sighed contently and leaned against the door when it was shut again. Around her, though, the others didn't look so content.

Rikku, who was lying on the ground, crossed her arms over her stomach and whined, "Can we go now? I'm tired of waiting."

Rayne sighed, "Give me a moment. There are some things I need to buy." She then walked over to the counter to the Al Bhed cashier, "I trust you have Firestrike weapons?"

The cashier smiled and nodded politely, "We do. Do you have any specific weapon types in mind?"

Rayne nodded, "Blitzball, katana and longsword. And knuckles, if you have them."

The cashier nodded and walked to the back, walking out a few moments later bearing two large packages, "I'm sorry, but all we had were the blitzballs and the katanas."

Rayne smiled and shook her head, "That's fine." She then glanced over her shoulder, "Wakka and Auron, come here!" The two arrived as Rayne was digging the money out of the groups collective travel funds. She waved to the two packages, "Merry Christmas, now take those and see how they feel." After getting an affirmative from both of the guardians, Rayne paid the Gil for the two weapons, "Thank you."

As she walked away from the counter tying the Gil purse back to her mesh, the door burst open and Clasko ran inside, blurting, "Lady Rayne, do you really think I'd make a good Chocobo Breeder?!"

Rayne slowly looked up at the excited Knight with wide eyes, "Yyeeaahh, Clasko, you'd make a great breeder."

The Knight smiled widely and bowed and ran back outside, passing a pleased Tidus. Rayne raised a brow, "What did you tell him?"

Tidus smiled and shrugged, "What he wanted to hear, apparently."

Rayne blinked, "Wow." She then turned back to the rest of the group, who had spread themselves out to mope on their own. Rayne clapped her hands loudly, drawing all attention to her, "We'll be leaving momentarily, so get your stuff together and buy what you need while you can." When she received the cheers of enthusiasm from the restless bunch, she walked over to a table and sat, pulling out her ItemIdentify and going over her inventory.

"Rayne." She looked up from her device and glanced at Auron, who was looking around to make sure that no one was listening, "Get ready—"

"For the battle? Why do you think that we stopped here?"

Auron regarded her suspiciously, "How did you—"

"Know? Call it a hunch." She turned back to her screen, pretending to study it more. 'It's just way too coincidental that there was a rest stop just before the Temple. Once again, the game writers wouldn't have been able to resist the temptation to put in another boss battle, and since there is not just a save point, but a full-blown rest stop with a save point included, it is most definitely going to be a toughie.'

After listening to a few moments of scattered conversation and the clanking of moved items, Rayne stood and put her ItemIdentify away, "Alright, let's go."

As soon as they had walked outside and began to head down the slope, Tromell Guado appeared. Rayne immediately backed out of sight and refused to listen to the conversation, knowing what it was mostly going to be about.

"Yuna. We're all with you, do as you will."

As soon as she heard Auron say this, Rayne knew that Yuna was walking away. She ran out from behind Kimahri and pulled Yuna into a hug, whispering, "Be careful."

Yuna nodded and backed away, bowing one final time before turning to follow the Guado. Tromell chuckled sheepishly, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask that you wait here a little longer. We must follow Guado tradition, you know." He then turned and led Yuna away.

Rayne focused on Yuna's retreating form, barely listening to what was going on around her until Tidus ran up beside her and shouted, "Hey, Yuna!" When Yuna turned back, Tidus put his fingers into his mouth and whistled loudly, waving as he did.

Yuna appeared to laugh, then shouted back, "Yes sir!"

Rayne clenched her hands tightly, the material of her gloves squelching in protest. "Tidus."

He looked over at her, "Yeah?"

Rayne lowered her head and hissed through gritted teeth, "Get ready for a battle."

At that moment, Wakka shouted, "YUNA!!!"


	27. Seymour's Madness

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Seymour's Madness)

Tidus watched in mixed horror and fascination as Rayne's pupils contracted to mere pinpoints. Her mouth opened and a feral cry tore from her throat, and it took him a moment to process that she had screamed the word 'Yuna'. His arm was nearly ripped out of its socket when she seized his wrist and yanked him over the snow bank, dragging him over to said summoner, who had been surrounded by a group of Al Bhed.

Rayne's eyes danced with fury as she glanced back at Tidus and growled two simple words, "Protect Yuna" before she launched forward and attacked one of the snowmobiles that the Al Bhed were riding. There was a whirlwind of machina and snow, followed by the snowmobiles driving away.

Rayne looked over at the slope where they had disappeared at and glared at the Al Bhed that walked over the edge and glared at them all. When he saw Rikku, he shouted, "Rikku! Fro ryjah'd oui pnuikrd Yuna?!"

Rikku cried back, "E ys Yuna'c Guardian huf! Cra ec cyva, caa?"

The man shook his head angrily, "Fa femm pa dygehk ran fedr ic!"

Rayne growled to Rikku, "Tell spiky that he can have Yuna when I'm good and dead, and not a moment sooner."

Rikku pointed to Rayne, "Mecdah, drec myto'c lnywo, yht oui't pa cdibet du vekrd ran!"

The man, though, only laughed, "Hud ev E pmulg ouin Magic yht Aeons!"

A giant machina drove up and Rikku gasped, "Oh, no!"

Tidus looked between Rikku and the machina worriedly, "What?"

Rikku shook her head and waved her hands, "He's going to use an anti-magic field on us!" Lulu, Yuna, and Rayne felt a heavy weight settle on their minds and suddenly couldn't find the paths that led to their magic.

The man laughed and shouted, "Mad ic pakeh!"

Rayne took this as the start signal and ran forward, ramming her staff into the gears of the machina. It did, however, little damage, and she took an armful of bullets as compensation for her stupidity.

She screamed and Yuna quickly healed her arm, using a Potion when her 'Cure' wouldn't work. Rayne pulled back and growled to the melee attackers, "Get that damn field down."

They nodded and began attacking, leaving Lulu, Yuna, and Rayne to sit back and watch. After a few tense moments the field still wasn't down, and the machina began to whir like it was preparing for a large attack. Rikku noticed this and screamed, "Mana Beam!"

A white point began to form in the barrel of the cannon and the whirring grew louder. At the same time, Yuna noticed something small and quick zooming around the top of the giant machina. She cried, "Wakka, aim for the flying machina!"

Wakka did, and one well placed attack completely destroyed the machina. The weight was gone and Rayne and Lulu jumped to their feet, both of them screaming, "Thundara!!!" The two bolts of lightning fell simultaneously and joined into one, striking the machina and dealing a massive amount of damage.

Auron ran back and shouted, "Yuna! Ixion, and build him up until he can use Thor's Hammer!"

Yuna nodded and everyone backed away, giving her enough room to summon the unicorn. Ixion's overdrive was quickly charged, and he dealt a massive amount of damage with his overdrive attack. One final 'Aerospark' finished it off for good.

The mohawked man gapped as his machina exploded, then turned to Rikku and pointed at her, "E femm damm Vydran!" He then jumped onto the back of the nearest snowmobile and rode away with the other Al Bhed.

Rikku turned to Rayne and scratched her cheek sheepishly, "I… I told him I was a guardian. I guess I kinda had to, really."

Rayne nodded, "So word could get to your father that you and Yuna were alright?"

Rikku nodded, then gasped and looked around frantically. "Yunie!"

They saw Tromell leading Yuna down the path to the Temple. The Guado turned back and waved, "Thank you!"

Rayne shook her head, "Really doesn't waste any time, does he?"

"Hey, Rikku, why you speak Al Bhed?"

Rayne flinched and looked to Rikku, who was biting her lower lip nervously. The young guardian slowly turned to Wakka, scratching the back of her head. "Because…" She sighed, "Because I am an Al Bhed."

Wakka noticed the pained looks on Rayne and Lulu's faces, "You knew?" When they both nodded, Wakka sighed, "Sir Auron and Kimahri knew too, then."

Tidus nodded, "Yeah, Everyone but you, for obvious reasons."

Wakka scowled and slammed his fist into his hip, "I can't believe that I've been traveling with an Al Bhed. A heathen!"

Rikku frowned and crossed her arms, "Hey!"

The ex-blitzer turned to her and glared, "It's true! You people live indecent and sacrilegious lives, and do nothing but make trouble!"

Rikku shook her head frantically, "That's not true! The Al Bhed have nothing against Yevon!"

"Huh! And when all you do is disregard the teachings!"

Rikku groaned, "So what?!"

Wakka pursed his lips, "It's because of you using machina that we suffer Sin! Then again, not like you'd know, you don't even know the teachings!"

"I know the teachings! And I know that they're wrong!"

Wakka stumbled backwards, then raised his hands, "What you say?!"

"You got proof that it's machina that keeps bringing Sin? Show me proof!"

Wakka rolled his eyes, "So much for you knowing! The teachings say—"

"Yevon says this, Yevon says that!" Rikku interrupted, "Can't you think for yourselves?!"

"Rikku." They both stopped arguing and turned to Auron, who pointed to an overturned snowmobile. "Will this still work?"

Rikku scratched her cheek, "Should. Lemme have a look." She then ran over and began to tinker with it, leaving Wakka fuming.

"Oh, what? We aren't gonna use that, are we? Sir Auron isn't an Al Bhed too, is he?"

"WAKKA!" They all turned to Rayne, who was glaring at the orange-haired guardian with major snaps of electricity going off around her, "Shut the HELL up about the Al Bhed! I don't want to hear another derogatory remark out of you!"

"Feh!" Wakka scoffed, "The words of an Al Bhed sympathizer."

Rayne's face went completely expressionless and the air around her stilled. She then walked over to Wakka and drew her arm back, punching him right in the jaw. Wakka looked up at her from the ground with wide eyes, but she merely glanced at him, "I'm sick of you."

Though the others tried to call her back, Rayne turned on her heel and walked away, heading in the direction of the temple. The wind picked up and blew the lighter layer of snow off of the ground and whipped it around her. She felt a layer of frost coating her eyelashes and crossed her arms over her stomach, 'I really wish I had some form of transportation…'

At that moment something hit Rayne square in the back, causing her to loose her balance and fall forward. "Who the fu—" Her complaint was cut off by a loud 'Wark'.

Laughing, Rayne rolled over onto her back and smiled up into the large blue eyes of her giant bird friend, "Hello, Boky."

Boky jumped up and down, squealing joyfully. When Rayne was back on her feet, Boky hunched down and looked at her with expectant eyes. "Kweh?"

Rayne laughed again, "I know what you want." She then dug her hand into her pocket and brought out a handful of grass. "There you are, the last of the Gyshal Greens I have. All for you, as I promised for helping the Knights cross the Moonflow."

The chocobo snatched the Greens out of her hand and gulped them down hastily. He then walked in front of her and crouched down again, this time presenting his side. He looked at her and flapped his wings a bit. "Wark!"

Rayne smiled, "You couldn't have come at a better time, Boky." After she scrambled onto the chocobo's back, Rayne pulled herself into a sitting position and pointed in the direction of the temple. "Onward, little Boky!"

After 'Wark'ing again, Boky jumped to his feet and took off, leaping across a large crevice to get onto a wider path. A bit down the road, the chocobo passed up three snowmobiles, Rayne waving and smiling at their riders. When Boky saw Auron, though, he 'Wark'ed lowly and sped up even more, passing them and leaving the snowmobiles behind.

Rayne laughed, calling back, "Eat my snow!" She was caught off balance, though, when Boky jumped over a rock, and fell forward onto the chocobo's neck. Clutching his feathers for dear life, Rayne screamed, "I suddenly remember why I don't like riding chocobos!"

Boky just threw his head and let out a wild, "Grahahaha!"

Several tense, frostbitten moments later, Boky pulled to a screeching stop and dropped to his haunches, Rayne flying off and toppling into a snow bank. Rayne sat up and looked around dizzily, "That was a wild ride…"

She heard laughter and looked up, three snowmobiles riding up and Tidus jumping off of the first. He smiled widely, "You really know how to ride them chocobos, don't ya?"

Rayne threw him a lopsided grin and flashed a peace sigh, "You know it!"

Auron walked forward and looked between them, "Let's go."

Rayne nodded and jumped to her feet, giving her chocobo a hug, "You'd better get out of here, little Boky; thing's are going to get really sticky. Go hide in the forest and wait for me."

The chocobo 'Kweh'ed in a sad voice, then lowered his head and licked Rayne's forehead. Throwing her one last sad look, Boky turned on the spot and ran down the path, stopping infrequently to stare back at her. When he was out of sight, Rayne turned and walked down the steps into the entrance of the Temple.

Auron walked up beside her and said, "I'll give that parasite one thing; he's determined to see you whenever he can. He's also loyal. …Stalking little fuzz ball."

Rayne rolled her eyes, "You're only jealous because he kissed me before you did. Now shut your trap. We don't want too many of them hearing us."

Auron fell silent and glared at Rayne. Lulu noticed this and decided to change the subject, "Rayne, why are you making this sound like a siege?"

Rayne shook her head and growled, "As long as Yuna is no longer in our protection, any move we make must be planned. Until she is with us and in our sights again, everyone is an enemy."

"Uh…" Wakka began hesitantly, "Isn't that a little… overboard? Maester Seymour is, after all, a maester of Yevon…"

Rayne turned on her heel and bore her eyes into Wakka's until he squirmed uncomfortably, "Until she is in our protection, everyone is an enemy, Wakka. Everyone."

Wakka shook his head slowly, looking around, "Sir Auron… tell her—"

"She's right, Wakka." Auron confirmed, walking passed them, "Until Yuna is secure, everyone is under suspicion. Now, let's go."

At the bottom of the steps they walked out onto an icy dais where a small creature in a penguin mask walked up to them. "Oui sicd rinno. Maester Seymour ec yldehk jano cicbeleuic."

Rikku nodded to the penguin-masked person and replied, "Drygh oui." She then turned to the others, "Come on, something isn't right."

The others nodded and walked forward, making it a point to ignore the creaking and groaning of the ice bridge beneath them. When they arrived at the entrance to the Temple building, one of the monks stepped forward and pointed at Rikku.

"The likes of her are not welcome in this sacred hall."

Rayne scowled and slapped the man's hand aside, "Keep your hands away from a guardian of Lady Yuna, knave."

The monk gasped and sputtered, "W-what? Preposterous!"

Rikku shook her head, "I'm Yunie's guardian, and that's all I want."

Auron walked forward and glowered at the monk, "And that's all one needs to be a guardian."

The monk's mouth opened and closed like a proverbial fish out of water, but he quickly ceased and looked between Rayne and Auron, frowning, "Very well, but I will hold you two personally responsible if anything happens."

Rayne scoffed and pushed passed the monk, "I honestly couldn't care less."

Inside of the Temple, Auron nudged Rayne in the side and chuckled, "'Knave'?"

Rayne giggled and shook her head, "No clue where it came from, but it worked, right?"

He chuckled again, then regained his serious disposition and began to walk around the room, regarding everything with a steely eye. Rayne took that as her cue to begin her search for Yuna and walked up to the entrance of the Cloister, glaring at the monk who blocked her way, "Let us in."

The monk shook his head and crossed his arms, "No one is to enter the Cloister until the Lady Yuna and the Lord Maester Seymour return."

Rayne gritted her teeth, "We are the Lady Yuna's guardians, and as thus we are the ones who should accompany her."

A look of shock passed over the monk's face, but he quickly covered it and replied firmly, "I am sorry, Lady Guardian, but those are the orders of Maester Seymour and as such must be upheld. You and your company may rest in the Temple dormitories, but you canno—"

Rayne abruptly turned and walked back to the group, who were standing in the center of the room and looking at her expectantly. When she was close enough, Rayne crossed her arms and lowered her voice, "They won't let us in until Seymour and Yuna come out."

"Then we'll just push passed them!" Tidus exclaimed.

Rayne shook her head, "We wouldn't be able to get away with it without a good reason, and the last thing we want to do is get into trouble with Bevelle." She sighed, "I think that, for now, our best course of action would be to wait."

"Until the opportunity presents itself."

Rayne nodded at Auron. Tidus looked between the two and stretched his arms behind his head, "So… we just wait?" When he received a nod from the two older guardians, he sighed. "Grreeeaat."

On that note, the group split up and began to look around the Temple, Rayne stopping to buy a few items from O'aka.

After she had bought several Hi-Potions, she whispered to the merchant, "You all packed? You don't have any merchandise laid out anywhere?"

O'aka regarded her curiously, but replied in like, "Got all me stuff on me. Any particular reason?"

Rayne glanced around to make sure that no one was listening, then whispered in an even lower voice, "Be ready to escape. Something bad might happen, and I don't want you unnecessarily caught up in it."

The merchant blinked, but nodded anyways and whispered back, "Thanks for the warning."

Rayne nodded and was about to say something else when she heard a scream. "Lord Jyscal!"

At that, Rayne abruptly turned on her heel and ran towards the back room, passing a woman who was lying on the ground and was moaning, "Oh, why, Lady Yuna?"

Inside, she found a sphere lying among several of Yuna's extra changes of shirts. She picked it up and glanced over it, finding the words. On the bottom, in old fashioned writing, she found the inscription:

Final Will and Testament of Maester Jyscal Guado

When the others ran in a second later, Rayne scowled and threw the sphere to Auron. "I think I found what the woman was screaming about."

Auron's eye widened slightly at what he read on the bottom, and he handed the sphere to Tidus, muttering, "I think this may explain a few things."

Tidus activated the sphere and set it on the floor, everyone gathering around as the phantom of the old maester appeared.

"What I am about to tell you is the unclouded truth.

"I swear it on my honor as a Guado.

"Listen to me very carefully, for I shall tell you the truth about my son, Seymour.

"His mind is closed even to me, a maester of Yevon.

"But I can feel flames of darkness burning in his heart.

"He is using Yevon, the Guado, and even the summoners.

"If he is not stopped, he will surely bring destruction and chaos to Spira.

"I will soon leave this world, killed by my own son.

"But I do not fault him.

"Because I was not wise enough, he has suffered, and become twisted.

"I could not protect him and his mother from the world and its cruelty.

"I will accept death as punishment for my deeds.

"But whoever is watching this…

"I implore you to stop Seymour! Stop my son."

When the image faded and the sphere turned off, Rayne looked at Wakka pointedly, "If that isn't proof enough for you, I don't know what is. …Kimahri!" The Ronso looked at Rayne, his eyes flashing when he saw the feral bloodlust in her eyes. "Let's go to Yuna."


	28. The Death of Seymour

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(The Death of Seymour)

When the group finally got to the entrance of the Cloister, they found that Rayne and Kimahri had already dispatched the monks guarding the entrance. One of the monks who had been thrown to the ground sat up as they ran by. "T-that Ronso! He…" The monk then stood on his feet and glared at the group, "Bevelle with hear of this!"

Tidus stopped at the Cloister door and screamed over his shoulder, "Let them!" He then followed the others inside and shut the Cloister doors.

They found Kimahri and Rayne waiting for them. Rayne glanced at them and growled, "Didn't want the Cloister to spring a trap on us and leave you behind."

The group ran through the ice tunnel, Wakka moaning and cursing with every step they took. "Ohhoh!"

Rayne stopped running and looked back at him, "The hell's your problem now?!"

The ex-blitzer shook his head and groaned, "I can't believe we're gonna fight a maester!"

Rayne sighed and pulled him onward, "If it mean's protecting Yuna, we don't have a choice!"

Wakka just shook his head and planted his feet, "I won't do it!"

Rayne growled and grabbed Wakka's vest, heaving him off of his feet and slamming him into the icy wall, "Listen, Wakka, you made a commitment to Yuna! A commitment! You swore to protect her from anything and everything, and that includes maesters! If you had to protect her from Lord Mika, you would because it's your duty! If you had to protect her from Lady Yunalesca or Lord Zaon, you would because it's your duty! If you had to protect her from Yu Yevon himself, you would because it's your duty! There is no shirking it! THIS IS WHAT YOU SWORE TO DO!!!!" She then dropped him to his feet and pushed him backward one final time. "And if you can honestly say that you wouldn't protect her from any of them, then you don't deserve to call yourself a guardian."

She turned away from him and continued to run. "YUNA, WE'RE COMING!"

The group, who had stopped to witness the spectacle, watched Wakka as he clenched and unclenched his hands. They were thoroughly surprised when Wakka looked up with a new resolve in his eyes and shouted, "YEAH, YUNA, WE'RE ON OUR WAY!" Wakka ran after Rayne, the group not far behind.

Rayne threw the door open, jumping inside the antechamber and unsheathing her staff. The others followed not long after, Tidus running forward and shouting, "Seymour!"

The half-Guado, who was standing sentinel at the entrance to the Chamber, turned slowly to face them, "Please be quiet. Lady Yuna prays to the fayth."

Tidus waved his sword and shouted, "Make me!"

Seymour shook his head and sighed, "So foolish."

Auron stepped forward, "We know what you did to Jyscal."

The maester shrugged his shoulders, "A necessary sacrifice."

At that moment, the door opened and Yuna stumbled out. When she saw the others, she gasped and shook her head, "B-but why?!"

Tidus waved her over, "Yuna! We came to help you!"

Seymour lifted his arm, "She does not need this." He then looked at Yuna and held out his hand, "Come, Lady Yuna. Come to me."

Rayne laughed loudly and bitterly, "So she can end up like Lord Jyscal?! So she can suffer like you plan on doing to the people of Spira?! AS IF! We saw the sphere, and we know that you're out of your bloody mind!"

Still looking at Yuna, Seymour asked, "Surely you knew of these things when you came to me, Yuna?" Yuna nodded hesitantly and Seymour smiled, "Well?" He twisted the wrist of his still outstretched hand slightly.

Seeing the indecision in her wards eyes, Rayne called out, "Yuna! Come to us and we'll help you beat him! You don't have to do this alone!"

Biting her lip, Yuna took a step away from Seymour, then turned on him and ran back to her guardians, who surrounded her immediately. Seymour took a step forward and they raised their weapons, challenging him to come forth further. Seymour laughed eerily, "Ah, yes. 'Protect the Summoner, even at the cost of your own life.' The Code of the Guardian, how admirable." Two Guado stepped out of the shadows and joined Seymour on either side of him. Seymour continued, "Very well, I shall just have to grant your wishes to die."

Yuna's grasp tightened on her stave, "Maester Seymour, though it is true that these people are my guardians, they are also my friends. I will not stand by and watch you hurt them." She raised her stave and set her feet, "I will fight you, too!"

Seymour remorselessly replied, "What a pity." And with that, the battle began.

The two Guado at Seymour's side worked constantly to heal and protect him, so Auron commanded the melee attackers, "Take out the other two, first!"

Rayne, Yuna and Lulu kept their eyes on Seymour, shielding the others from his magic. After the group received several of his magical attacks, Lulu shouted, "He attacks in order of element!"

Yuna nodded and called back, "That gives me the time to shield us from his next element attack!"

When the two Guado were finally defeated, they all leapt forward to attack Seymour directly.

Yuna shouted at the twisted maester, "I will defeat you!"

Seymour grinned wickedly, "The resolve in your eyes. Beautiful!"

Tidus screamed and attacked, causing Seymour to giggle and taunt him, "You really think you can beat me? With Yuna at my side, I shall free Spira!"

Tidus rolled his eyes and shouted, "You talk too much, Seymour!"

Wakka hesitated before he attacked, "Maester Seymour, please! We must stop this!" Be Seymour didn't even react. Wakka cringed and threw his blitzball, hitting the half-Guado dead on.

Seymour did, though, glance at Rayne, "I can help you awaken from this curse, you know. I could send you home."

Rayne dodged an attack and threw one of her own, shouting back, "This is my home, Seymour. It has been for the past ten years!"

He sighed and shook his head, "I do pity you."

Rayne scowled and jumped at him, slashing open his chest with the bladed edge of her staff. While she was close enough to see the blood run down his chest, Rayne saw his eyes flash. She stumbled backwards and shouted, "Yuna! Summon!"

At the same time as Yuna began to summon, Seymour raised a blood-soaked hand into the air and called in a booming voice, "Feel my pain… Come, Anima!"

Three large blocks of ice fell behind Yuna, and a giant anchor dropped before Seymour. The ice shattered to reveal the priestess, the aeon of ice. The anchor pulled up the aeon of darkness by her throat, leaving her in shackles before her summoner.

Yuna looked at her new aeon and pleaded, "Please, help us!"

The ice priestess nodded and faced Anima. She then ran forward and delivered a powerful roundhouse to Anima's side. Anima retaliated with a blast from her bleeding eye.

Rayne stood back with the others and watched the two great aeon's battle. She winced every time that Anima was hit, plagued by the oddest feeling that there was something more to that aeon than what met the eye. She tried to remember just what she had heard about Seymour and his aeon, but all she could think of was the fact that he and his mother had been banished to some undisclosed location and when he had returned, he suddenly had a powerful aeon. That led Rayne to one conclusion, but she didn't want to think about it.

"No!"

Rayne snapped out of her reverie just in time to see the ice priestess drop to her knees, navy blood oozing from various wounds. Yuna doubled over at the same time, clutching at invisible wounds. Rayne watched with horrified, wide eyes. 'How painful it must be, the bond between aeon and summoner.'

"Blizzara!"

The spell left Rayne's mouth before her mind could process the need to say it, and it hit the ice priestess. Though, rather than harm her, it healed her, and she and Yuna stood back on their feet.

"Yuna!" Rayne called out above the roar of Anima, "Remember; like element heals like elemental creature! Just like fire will heal Ifrit and thunder Ixion, ice will heal the priestess! She has the black magic for 'Blizzara', so use it! Use the aeon's abilities to their full extent, not just to blindly attack!"

Yuna nodded and faced her aeon again, calling out, "Use 'Blizzara' on yourself!"

The priestess appeared to be relieved when she nodded, and seemed to sigh happily when her own black magic attack healed her. She then glanced at Rayne briefly and nodded, which Rayne returned.

Seymour laughed madly, "This power that can withstand Anima; it will be MINE!" He then looked up at his aeon and cried, "Anima! Destroy them! Oblivion!"

Anima shed a fresh tear of blood and screeched, the in the room growing dark. Yuna had just enough time to yell out 'Shield!' before all sound was muffled and the rooms occupants were locked in darkness. Though it was only mere moments long, the oppressing black made it feel an eternity, and when it finally did fade, it left the priestess in worse condition than she had been before.

Rayne yelled 'Blizzara' again, but it did little to help the aeon.

Yuna knelt beside her and said, "I know that this is asking much of you, but could you use your overdrive?"

The priestess nodded and pulled herself shakily to her feet, her body flashing red and the air around her dropping severely in temperature. Yuna shouted 'Diamond Dust!' and the priestess raised her arms above her head, turning the whole room into an ice cavern. At the snap of her fingers the ice shattered, the shards tearing into Anima.

Seymour shrieked, "ANIMA!!!!" He then turned his eyes on Yuna and pointed his staff at her, "DEATH!"

Rayne raised her staff and stepped between them, "Pain."

Seymour fell to the floor and writhed, pulling himself up after several obviously agonizing moments and turning wide eyes on Rayne. "How can you do that?! It is supposed to be Anima's special attack; no human can replicate it!"

Rayne rolled her eyes, "Unfortunately for you, Seymour, I have more magic available to me than you can shake a stick at. Pain!"

Anima reached out and grabbed the attack, absorbing it into her skin and healing slightly. Rayne backed away and stared at her, leaving the aeons to return to their battle. Anima turned to the priestess and used a 'Pain' of her own, but Yuna's aeon dodged it and cast another 'Blizzara' on herself.

The ice priestess then raised a hand into the air and slashed it downward, a giant ball of ice forming above Anima and dropping down onto her head. Anima roared in anger and released two consecutive 'Pain' attacks, both of them hitting the priestess dead on. Yuna's aeon shuddered, then dropped to her knees, Yuna following soon after.

Pushing passed the pain, Yuna cried out to her aeon, "Please! Just one final overdrive!" The priestess gave a barely perceptible nod and Yuna shouted, "Diamond Dust!"

Pulling herself to her feet one final time, the priestess once again encompassed the room in ice. After adding a layer to the air around Anima, she then snapped her fingers, ending the ice spell and shattering everything, dealing a massive amount of damage to Anima.

Seymour's aeon roared and drooped, her pyreflies slowly departing from her body, breaking her down. When she was gone, Seymour laughed madly, "You have defeated Anima! Beautiful! I will have your power!"

"Not if I can help it!" Tidus shot forward and struck Seymour, cutting off the Guado's laughter as the priestess was 'Dismissed'.

Following his example, the rest of the melee attackers ran forward and attacked the maester. Despite his numerous wounds, Seymour kept standing and began to call out spells. Rayne and Lulu stepped forward and cast two consecutive 'Blizzara' spells, which combined and struck him simultaneously. When he remained on his feet and raised his staff, Yuna closed her eyes in concentration and yelled, "Holy!"

The sacred spell caused several successive balls of holy magic to strike Seymour in succession. Unable to hold on, Seymour finally tottered forward a few steps and fell onto his back. The group surrounded him and Yuna knelt by his side, obviously contemplating helping him.

His eyes saw the look in hers and, coughing passed a glob of blood, Seymour chuckled, "Yuna, you would pity me now?"

Yuna bit her lip as she watched the life flee his body and the light in his eye fade. Thus did Seymour, son of the Guado Maester Jyscal and a human woman, a Maester himself and the leader of the Guado race, died.

The group stared at the body of Seymour in stunned silence, shocked by what they had just done. After a moment, Rikku coughed and asked, "Well… what now?"

Rayne shook her head and was about to say something when the doors burst open and a cry split the air, "Lord Seymour!"

Tromell and several Guado ran forward, the group backing off to let them get to the fallen maester. Tromell sobbed and regarded them with horrified eyes, "Wha-what have you done?!"

Rayne sighed and shook her head, "An unfortunate but necessary deed."

Auron nodded in agreement, then turned to the summoner, "Yuna, send him."

Tromell balked and placed himself between the group and the body of his dead liege, "Wh-what do you mean?!"

Rayne gently put her hand on the Guado's shoulder and said, "It is the job of the summoner. Seymour is de—"

"NO!" Tromell slapped her hand away, "None of you shall approach him!" At that, the other Guado picked up the body of Seymour and carried him out of the room. Tromell followed close behind them, turning to shout before the doors shut, "You will pay for this, traitors!"

The company stared at the door in silence for a moment, then Yuna shook her head slowly and murmured, "Traitors?"

Rayne shook her head and walked to the door, "Branded or not, it's freezing in here, and I sure as hell don't want to wait in this icebox until the Bevelle officials arrive."

"Bevelle?!" Three simultaneous cries cut through the air.

Rayne turned and nodded to the dazed Besaid islanders, "What did you expect? Whether he was crazy or not, the man we just killed is a maester. Word will reach Bevelle quickly, and holy officials will arrive even quicker. It's best we go."

Wakka shook his head and incredulously asked, "Run from Bevelle?"

Rayne shrugged and walked backwards towards the door, "Better than being killed by the Guado before they arrive. Now, let's quit chatting and go; I'm getting a serious case of frostbite in my toes and I don't much relish the idea of amputation."

They each briefly touched the save point, then ran through the doors. On the other side, though, they discovered that the Cloister had already been reset. Tidus groaned, "Can't we get a break?!"

Solving the puzzle was more tortuous than the previous Cloisters, and they almost didn't find the Destruction Sphere. When they finally finished, though, they ran as quickly as they could across the bridge, Rayne stuffing the Destruction item (she was in too much of a hurry to check what it was) into her jacket.

On the other side of the door, a group of Guado and humans awaited them, gazing up at them in hatred. "Traitors! You killed Maester Seymour!"

Tidus shook his head and shouted back, "He started it! Besides, he was crazy! Yuna, show them the sphere!"

"You mean this?" Tromell calmly held up Jyscal's will and crushed it, hissing, "The Guado shall deal with Guado problems."

Rayne groaned and jumped into the crowd, sweeping her staff in a wide arc and clearing a path as the people scattered. "Everyone, run!"

The group ran out of the temple, pushing as they went and beating off the hands that frantically grabbed them. Outside the door, Rayne saw O'aka and screamed, "Run! Now!" The merchant nodded and touched the sphere, teleporting away. As soon as he was gone, several Guado fighters surrounded it, forcing the group to run along the icy bridge to escape.

They fought their way passed several Guado and once they were up the stairs and back outside they continued to run to the lake, their snowmobiles inexplicably gone. When they finally arrived at the lake, several Guado appeared and cut them off, all of them giving up their lives to summon two great wendigo.

The two fiends packed a mean punch and they were resistant to magic. The melee attackers had a hard time beating them, so Tidus shouted in suggestion, "Let's just focus our attacks on one of them at a time!"

So while the melee attackers faced off against one of the yeti-fiends, Rayne and Lulu worked to keep the other one occupied, Yuna working in the back to keep everyone healed. When their fiend fell, the melee then focused on the final one, Lulu and Rayne falling back to stay out of the way.

Wakka shouted, "Elemental Slots! Thunder!" He then spun his blitzball on the tip of his finger, the contact causing the ball to burst into crackles of electricity. Wakka quickly launched it into the air, kicking it when it came back down. The ball flew forward and smacked the fiend in the face, burning its eyelids shut and melting its nose.

The fiend roared and stumbled backward, clutching its face piteously. It tripped over an icy rock and fell, crashing onto its side. Its great paws reached out and groped at the ground, then, with a final roar, the fiend lifted its arm into the air and brought it down heavily upon the ice.

For a moment nothing happened. Then, the ice around the fiend's fist cracked loudly, several rifts forming and spreading in latticework formation. Rayne vaguely heard Auron shout "Run!" before the ground beneath their feet shattered and crumbled and the group plunged into darkness. Rayne shouted, "AURON!!!!", then all was black.


	29. Vault of Memories

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Vault of Memories)

_Well, what a surprise…_

_I'm back here…_

Someone chuckled, "Yes, you are. Welcome back."

_Hey… You aren't… Bahamut…_

_You're the… priestess, right?…_

"Yes, I am. I'm flattered you remember my voice."

_Are you… alright?…_

_That fight… against Anima… took a heavy toll on you…_

"I am fine. We aeons do not worry about the wounds of our corporeal flesh when we are in our spiritual form. By the way, I am Shiva."

_Shiva… Why am I… here?…_

"This place serves as a resting home for you when you are severely injured, as well as when your brother ceases to play."

_Severely injured?…_

"You fell quite a ways when the ice broke, and there was nothing to cushion your fall."

… _Owie…_

"Yes, very much so. Now, you are waking up. Is there anything you would like to ask of me before you leave?"

_Can I… see my brother?…_

"Of course."

There was a bright light, followed by an image of her family's living room. Michael was sitting on the sofa, and someone else was playing the game. Someone she vaguely recognized…

_Oh… hell no…_

Shiva laughed, "Good luck."

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Rayne shot into a sitting position and screamed, "SEBASTIAN!!!!" Her voice echoed and resonated into the air, carrying on for miles and miles, revealing the enormity of the place she was in.

When the echoes ceased, an amused voice from beside Rayne asked, "Who's Sebastian?"

Rayne growled and glared at Auron, "One of my brother's friends. Also a bit of a friend of mine… I guess."

Auron chuckled and held out his hand, pulling her to her feet when she accepted it. "You guess?"

Rayne rolled her eyes, "The guy was an idiot."

Auron blinked, "Ah."

She sighed, then looked around her, "Where are we?"

"Below the lake. Look," Auron pointed to something far off, "You can see the bottom of the Temple."

Rayne nodded, then jumped and looked around, "Where are the others? Where's Yuna?"

"Over here!"

Rayne spun around and saw Rikku standing a ways off, waving at her and pointing to something on the ground. Rayne jumped off of the rock she was on and ran over to the Al Bhed girl, trudging through surprisingly warm water. When she was close enough, she saw Yuna passed out, lying sprawled on a rock.

Rikku, who looked panicked, grabbed Rayne's arm and said, "She won't wake up!"

The older guardian knelt beside the young summoner and put two fingers on her throat at the bottom of her jaw line, checking for a pulse. "She's fine. She'll probably wake up soon, so let's just leave her be."

Rikku breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against a wall. "Weird place, huh?"

Rayne blinked, then looked around herself. The place they had landed in appeared to be the ruins of an old machina city. Most of the walls were faded and there were large chunks of debris everywhere, but one could tell that this had once been a fine piece of a spectacular civilization. "Yeah," Rayne replied, "Weird…"

"Hmph." Rayne turned and looked at Kimahri, who was shaking his head and looking around, "This place… aware."

"Like… you mean it's alive?"

The Ronso shrugged, "Not sure."

Rayne looked at the water she was standing in, taking note of the unexpected warmth and the fleshy feel as the ground shifted beneath her shoes. "Do you suppose it's… threatening?"

Kimahri grunted, "Not now, but maybe."

It was just then that Rayne noticed a faint song playing in the air. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, "The Hymn…"

She faintly heard Lulu say, "It acts to sooth the souls of the faithful."

"Yeah," Tidus said from somewhere in front of Rayne, "But where is it coming from?"

"The Temple." Though her eyes were still closed, Rayne could feel the others staring at her. She shrugged, "It's the fayth singing, so where else…?"

She could hear the shock in Tidus's voice, "It sings?!"

Rayne nodded and Lulu voiced her agreements. A muffled groan was heard, and everyone gathered as Yuna pushed herself into a sitting position, "W-what?"

"We fell." Came Auron's curt reply.

Yuna shook her head as if to clear it, then dropped it into her hands, "We-we've been branded traitors."

Feeling a serious talk approaching, Rayne hastily suggested, "Why don't we talk about this elsewhere? Like, somewhere more open?"

Lulu nodded, "There's a fairly open area this way."

When they were all standing in a circle, Yuna began talking, "What do we do?"

Rayne shrugged, "Depends; do you wish to continue your pilgrimage?"

Wakka snorted, "Yeah, right." When Rayne threw a glare at him, he continued undeterred, "We killed a maester! Like we'd be allowed to continue!"

"The Temples," Auron growled, "Do not choose who is worthy of an aeon. The fayth do. If we have to, we'll force our way in."

"Yeah!" "'Course!" Rikku and Tidus chimed respectively.

Yuna sighed and looked at Rayne, "I do wish to continue, but what is our other option, besides forcing our way?"

Rayne looked at Yuna seriously, then sighed and shook her head, "For you Yevonites, the other option would be to turn ourselves in for retribution. Then, we sit back and pray for understanding and, hopefully, Yevon will smile upon us and we shall be forgiven."

Wakka smiled, "I like that one."

Rayne smiled back, then dropped it immediately and growled, "I wasn't being serious. If we turn ourselves in, we're likely to receive the highest form of freaking punishment they have."

Yuna shook her head, not believing, "We must go to Bevelle." She then turned to Auron and Rayne, bowing, "I am sorry."

Rayne snorted, "Whatever."

Auron shrugged, "So it is decided."

There was a moment of silence, then everyone blinked in surprise. Tidus looked around, "The singing stopped…"

There was a loud moan and the ground shook.

"Sin!" Someone cried.

"The Toxin!" Another shouted.

Rayne grabbed Yuna and all faded to black.

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Rayne looked around. She was standing by herself under a big tree, watching the other kids play with the ball. She really wanted to join.

"Then go ahead."

She turned and saw Auron standing close by. He nodded and pointed to the kids, "Go on. There's nothing to be afraid of."

She shook her head, "They don't like me. They never let me play."



It was a bit later. Rayne had managed to gather enough courage to walk over to the other kids. They saw her coming and stopped playing. Rayne froze and held her breath.

"Go on." Auron's voice came from behind her.

Rayne stood tall and asked, "C-can I play?"

The boy who had the ball scoffed, "As if we'd let a freak play."

Rayne balked and stuttered, "W-wh-what?"

The boy laughed, "I know your secret! Your 'parents' found you! Freak!"

When the other kids joined in, Rayne turned and quietly walked away, ignoring the ball that hit her back.



Later that same day, Rayne confronted her brother on the playground. Auron stood back and watched silently.

"Why did you tell them, Mikey?! It was supposed to be a secret!"

Michael shrugged, "I didn't know he would say anything."

Rayne shook her head, tears pouring down her face, "You promised!"

Michael frowned and yelled back, "It's not my fault your real parents left you!"

Rayne's face fell. Michael turned and walked away, leaving her alone. Rayne dropped to her knees and started crying. Auron shook his head.



"But Mom! Why do we have to move?!" An older Michael screamed.

Rayne listened from her closet, covering her stomach with her hands when her father shouted back. "Do not talk to us that way! Your mother and I talked and we agreed that it would be best for all of us if we got away from the city for a while."

"You mean better for that parentless freak in there!" Michael shouted, stomping his foot.

Rayne heard her mother gasp, "Michael! How dare you!…Is this why she's being bullied?!"

"It's not my fault if she won't talk to anyone and just sits around and reads all day!"

Rayne's fingers dug into her stomach. 'I wouldn't sit by myself if everyone would quit picking on me…'

Auron sighed and sat on her bed, dropping his head into his hands.



It was several years later. Rayne sat on a bench underneath a tree, a large book opened on her lap. Michael leaned against the tree and looked for something in the branches.

"How was your first day at the new school, Mike?"

Michael rolled his eyes and grunted, "Same as it was at the last three."

There was a moment of silence. "Mike, why do you hate me?"

Michael glanced at his sister, then turned his gaze back to the tree. "I don't."

Rayne sighed and fiddled with the pages of her book. "Then why are you always angry at me?"

Michael sighed loudly and glared at her, "Why do you always read those stupid books?"

"I don't." Michael stared at her in shock. Rayne leaned back and smiled. "Can I tell you something? I… I'm not always reading. Sometimes… sometimes I imagine what it would be like… to be able to talk to people and make friends like you do. I imagine myself laughing and joking along with you and your friends. But…" She shook her head and closed her book, "I'm not that strong of a person."

Michael stared at the back of her head, his mouth dropped open in disbelief. Their silence was interrupted by the honk of a horn.

Rayne stood and turned to her brother, smiling, "Well, let's go."

Auron watched with a blank face as she grabbed her brother's hand and pulled him towards their parent's car.



A few more years had passed. Rayne sat be herself at the table, her food tray pushed aside and a book opened in its place. She idly flipped the page.

Michael sat a few tables away, eating and chatting with his friends. "Hey," Said the boy next to him, "Watch this." He picked up his spoon and filled it with peas, pulling the edge of the spoon back with his finger and launching it. The peas sailed through the air and landed in the middle of Rayne's book.

"Haha! Did you see the look on her face?! Priceless!" The boy leaned across the table and gave his other friend a high-five. His celebration was cut off when Michael punched him in the ribs. The kid sat back, coughing, "What the hell, man?"

Michael glared at the boy, "That was my little sister, jackass."

The boy gapped at him, "No way!"

Michael narrowed his eyes, "Way. She's my younger twin. Now go apologize."

The kid snorted, "Right."

Michael's hand shot out and grabbed the kid by the back of the neck, "I fucking mean it, Seb. Go apologize to her."

Sebastian grunted in defeat, then stood and walked over to Rayne's table. Michael watched as his friend sheepishly scratched the back of his head. Rayne nodded and turned back to her book, a small smile on her face.

Auron looked down at the back of Michael's head, a smirk crossing his features.



"Hey! Rayne!" When Rayne looked at him, Michael waved his arm, "Come over here."

She hesitated, then nodded and walked over.

One of Michael's friends looked at him incredulously, "Why are you calling her over?"

Michael shrugged, "Just thought I might invite my sister to join us. There a problem with that?" When no one said anything, Michael looked to his left, "Seb?"

Sebastian shrugged, then shook his head, "I don't see a problem with it, long as it doesn't become a long-term thing."

"No need to worry," Rayne said as she sat, ignoring the guilty look on her brother's friends' faces. "I don't plan on coming over her that often, even with invitation." She pulled a paper bag out of her backpack and set it on the table, "Chocolate chip cookies?"

Auron leaned against a wall and smiled.



"Hey! Fuckwads!"

The group that had surrounded Rayne turned and looked at Sebastian, who had a large stick propped on his shoulder and was glaring at them.

"Get the hell away from her."

The group ran off, leaving Rayne leaned against the wall, regarding her brother's friend suspiciously. "What do you want?"

"Nothin'." He replied throwing the stick aside and walking up to her. "Just didn't want to sit back and watch my friend's sister get the crap pummeled outta her." He nodded to her bleeding lip. "You alright?"

She reached up and wiped the blood away with the back of her hand, murmuring, "Fine."

Sebastian sighed and jerked his head, "Come on. I'll walk you home."

Rayne frowned and started walking, "Alright, now what do you want?"

Sebastian laughed sheepishly, "Well, there is this one word problem for tomorrows Trig…"

Rayne shook her head and they started talking, Sebastian quickly getting lost with whatever she was trying to explain.

Auron laughed when she picked up the stick he had had and whacked Sebastian on the back of the head with it.



"SEBASTIAN!!!!"

Michael glanced at his friend questioningly. Sebastian responded by jumping over the sofa and hiding. Rayne stormed into the room, something mottled and soggy in her right hand. She looked around the room with a wild look in her eye, then glared at her brother. "Where is he?"

Michael shrugged, "What did he do?"

Rayne pursed her lips and held up the object, which vaguely resembled a book. "The idiot left the library open again and Rex got inside."

Michael managed to cover his grin with a cough and asked, "What are you planning on doing to him?"

Rayne's eyes narrowed, "Oh, I'm not entirely sure, but I have recently purchased a rather interesting book on old European torture devices and I am dying to try out a few things…"

Michael's brows shot up, "Have you checked the garage?"

Rayne huffed and turned on her heel, "Not yet."

When she had walked out of the room, Sebastian peeked over the edge of the sofa. "Dude, I am so dead!"

Auron fell onto the sofa and laughed.



A gapping Sebastian sat beside Michael. The two were sitting in front of the TV, but their focus was completely on Rayne, who was sitting on the sofa with a book in her lap. She was looking at Sebastian with a raised brow. "What?"

Sebastian shook his head slowly. "You've never played a videogame before?"

Rayne sighed and rolled her eyes, "I don't involve myself in any form of electronic entertainment, Sebastian."

When Sebastian looked a bit clueless, Michael nudged his shoulder, "That means no TV, computer, videogames or audio players, dude."

Sebastian's jaw fell again, "There are actually people like that?..."

Rayne scoffed, "You are so narrow-minded… Yes, there are! I am one of those people, twit, I just told you that!"

The teen shook his head slowly, "How can you function… live without music, games or TV? It… it's fucking inhuman!"

Rayne laughed incredulously, "Believe it or not, Sebastian, there was a time when television did not exist."

Sebastian shook his head and turned back to the TV screen, throwing a look a Michael, "Dude, I don't care if she's a whiz, your sister's fucking weird."

Michael laughed and Rayne threw pillows at them.

Auron sat beside her and chuckled.



Rayne, Michael, and Sebastian sat on the roof of the house watching the sun set.

Sebastian scuffed the back of his shoe against the roofing of the house, "Hey, Ray, thanks for helping us study for that test. I think I actually did pretty good on this one."

Rayne rolled her eyes, "That's what you always say, Sebastian."

"Well, I think I mean it this time."

Michael laughed, "You've said that, too."

Silence elapsed and the three teens watched as the sun completely disappeared, leaving a red rim around the horizon.

"Thanks, you guys."

Michael and Sebastian looked at Rayne in shock. "For what?"

She sighed and pulled her knees to her chest, leaning her chin against them. "Just… thank you. For everything."

Getting no further explanation, the boys turned back to the scenery and watched as the red of day faded to the blue-black of night.

Auron sighed and sat beside Rayne, putting his hand on her shoulder.

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Rayne's eyes snapped open at Yuna's scream. She sat up and looked at the sandy expanse around her, calling out to Yuna when she saw her being captured by Al Bhed. Something hit Rayne on the back of the head and Rayne fell into darkness again, and this time no dreams visited her.


	30. The Destruction of Heart and Home

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(The Destruction of Heart and Home)

Muffled voices all around her. Some familiar, some not. One stood out from them all, though she couldn't remember why. Then, it all came back to her: her staff, the pilgrimage, the aeons, Guardian, her fellow guardians, the object of their protection, the summoner, the little girl…

"Yuna?"

The voices stopped. A pair of footsteps walked over to her and there was a rustle of clothes. Someone had knelt beside her head. "Rayne?"

Rayne groaned and sat up, clutching her head. "Who hit me? And with what?"

Yuna muttered "Cure" and Rayne's pain immediately lessened. The young summoner said, "We've been taken by the Al Bhed. We woke up in the Sanubia Sands of Bikanel Island, and some Al Bhed scouts found us and brought us back. We're in Home, the city of the Al Bhed, in some room called the 'Summoner's Sanctum'."

Rayne stood and looked around her. Everything was made of metal and reminded her of a boiler room. There were two doors standing on opposite sides of the room, and each door was guarded by two Al Bhed. She felt her back for her staff, but all that was there was its sleeve.

Two other figures walked towards them, one speaking. "They disarmed you while you were unconscious." When she was able to distinguish the figures, she recognized them to be Dona and Issaru. Issaru continued talking, "They also gave you some sort of potion to block your black magic."

Rayne nodded, "I see." She looked at Dona. "It's good to see you well. Barthello was worried about you."

A bit of relief shone in Dona's eyes, "Where was he?"

"Running around Macalania Forest, looking for you." Rayne shook her head, "I can imagine that he might still be there."

Dona sighed and closed her eyes, "Then he is well…" She then shook her head, "Fool."

Rayne rolled her eyes, then looked at their Al Bhed guards, "Any idea why they're holding us here?"

Issaru nodded, "It would appear as though they… do not like the idea of summoners giving their lives for the pilgrimage."

"Ah." Rayne nodded, "I see."

There was a tense silence, followed by Rayne turning to look at Yuna. "Hey, I just remembered something. You used a 'Holy' spell, didn't you?"

Yuna blinked, then nodded, "Yes."

"How? That spell is beyond your abilities."

Yuna smiled, "I guess I take after you, then."

Rayne blinked and looked at Yuna in shock. She then sighed and shook her head, smiling. "Fine, fine, whatever." 'A sudden, unexplainable burst of power, then.'

Issaru and Dona looked confused. They were about to ask something when suddenly the floor shook. There was a series of loud, far off explosions and the floor shook again. Rayne grabbed Yuna's arm and looked to the Al Bhed guards, who remained at their posts but looked around themselves in shock and panic.

There was a crackle over head, and an echo of a voice that was apparently speaking over an intercom. "Yddylg! Yddylg! Home ec ihtan yddylg! Lremtnah yht amtanmo caag cramdan! Ajanouha amca, tavaht Home!"

Rayne paled and Yuna looked at her. "Rayne, what's going on?!"

The others looked at Rayne as she shook her head, "I… I think Home is under attack…"

The intercom crackled again and a new voice came on, this one impatient and gruff, "Tysh Guado! Rao! Oui yd dra Summoner's Sanctum! Kiynt dras fedr ouin mejac!"

Yuna gasped, "Did he say Guado?!"

Rayne nodded, "Yeah, and by the looks of it, they're on their way down here." Rayne looked at the guards and watched them as they turned to the doors and pointed their guns at them. "Hey! Oui!" When the guards looked her, Rayne pointed to herself, "I want to help!"

The guards cocked their heads and Rayne screamed, "Damn, what I wouldn't give for more primers!!!"

One of the guards seemed to understand this and walked over to her, shoving her a handful of primers. Rayne took them and began to flip through them, taking in the letters as quickly as she could.

LM

MS

NH

OU

PB

QX

RN

SC

TD

The guard then handed her a sphere and she took it, compiling her dictionary and memorizing the letters. She nodded to the guard. "Dryhg oui."

The guard nodded, then began to talk to Rayne. It was almost like he was speaking plain Spiran. "What do you want?"

Rayne blinked, then shook off the oddness and answered, "You're fighting the Guado, right? I want to help."

One of the other guards scoffed, "And why should we let you?"

Rayne rolled her eyes, "Two reasons. One, I'm a Guardian. Two, since everyone is going to be fighting elsewhere, I take it you guys aren't going to be getting any reinforcements any time soon, so you'll probably need all the help you can get."

The four guards exchanged glances, then the one who handed her the primers nodded to one of the men closest to his door, "Go get her her staff." He then turned back to her, "No funny business."

Rayne caught her staff when it was thrown at her and twirled it once, "Wouldn't dream of it."

Another one of the guards called out to her, "If the Guado are going to come in from anywhere, it'll be from this door." He jerked his thumb at the door behind him. "We could use the extra cover over here."

Rayne nodded and started to walk over to him, but was stopped when Yuna grabbed her arm. She looked at the young summoner with a questioning look, and Yuna asked, "What are you doing?"

"Fulfilling my duties as a guardian." She pulled Yuna into a quick hug, then pushed her away and said, "Now stand back, who knows what those Guado might do at this point."

The floor shook again and more explosions went off, this time closer. The guards at Rayne's designated door called out to her and she ran over to them, holding her staff in both hands and standing at with her feet spread, bracing her body.

There was a tense silence in the room, punctuated only by the rumblings and explosions that were making steady progress towards their section of the city. When the noise reached a peak and seemed to be right outside the door, the guards raised their weapons even more and cocked them, the metallic clicking echoing throughout the room.

There was a pause, and all noise ceased. Rayne closed her eyes and began to count her heartbeats. One… two… three… four… fi—

The door flew open and dozens of Guado poured inside. The Al Bhed began to fire their guns and the Guado began to summon fiends. Rayne's eyes snapped open and she began to fire spell after spell, great rings of 'Fire' and balls of ice burning and crushing the enemies. She brewed such bolts of lightning that storm clouds began to form near the ceiling, and salty and swampy tangs filled the air from her 'Water' attacks.

So many fiends fell, but the Guado just replaced them all. Rayne felt hot jets of air pass close to her body, and heard the bangs from the guns of the Al Bhed behind her at the other door. Two Guado that stood before her fell, blood gushing from the bullet holes in their heads.

Rayne heard a scream from behind her and flipped around, her vision flashing red and a familiar pulse going through her body. 'Water…' The gem at the tip of her staff turned into a sapphire.

Rayne ran at the chimera fiend that had cornered the three summoners, her staff raised over her shoulder like a baseball bat. A scream formed at her lips and tore through her throat, her eyes flashing as the air before her parted like water and swirled around her as if she were a bullet.

"Atlantic Typhoon!"

The parted air shot forward and struck the chimera in the back, stunning it. Rayne followed the blast and swung her staff.

"STRIKE!"

The fiend was split in half, its body falling in different directions. Rayne turned and positioned herself in front of the summoners, screaming more spells as more fiends and Guado came at her. They were all about to jump her when an Ifrit, a Valefor, and a Shiva materialize beside her, running forward to take out the wave of attackers.

Rayne looked behind her and nodded to the summoners briefly, then turned back and joined the aeons in the fray. Soon, she ran out of MP. She jumped back among the summoners and dug into her green pouch, pulling out bottles of Ether and swallowing them whole, chasing them every so often with gulps from a Potion so the powder didn't cake her throat.

"Rayne!" She looked at Yuna, who pointed back into the battle, "The Al Bhed!"

Rayne looked back in and saw that two of the Al Bhed had fallen and one was severely injured. She roared and ran back in, knocking fiends aside with her staff in one hand and pulling out more Potions with the other. She knelt beside the injured man and handed him the Potions, then stood back up to cover him while he drank them.

She heard a muffled gurgle come from him and looked back over her shoulder to see that one of the Guado and shoved its long-fingered, long-nailed hand into the mans throat, blood gushing of his mouth as he took his last few pained breaths. The Guado looked up at her with contempt, and that was the look his face held in death. Rayne turned away from the decapitated Guado body in disgust, murmuring a small prayer for the fallen Al Bhed.

The remaining Al Bhed turned to her and yelled, "Go to the Summoners! Protect them! I'll hold them off for as long as I can!"

Rayne nodded and shouted back "I will pray for you!" before turning on her heel and running back to the corner where Dona and Issaru were standing. She looked around them, "Where's Yuna?!"

The two stayed focused on their summons, Issaru managing to shout, "They took her!"

Neither of the summoners noticed Rayne's pupils contract to pinpoints, but they both felt the magical surge come from the Mage as she slowly turned back to the battle and began to tear through the enemies, abandoning the need to cast spells. Bodies parted before her and she was soaked in blood, but she wasn't paying attention to that. She saw Yuna being dragged out of the room by two Guado and she focused on that completely.

Four Guado stepped before her, three summoning chimera and one summoning a bomb. Rayne used a series of consecutive 'Blizzaga' spells to dispatch the fiends and their summoners. More and more Guado surrounded her and started to summon fiends, but she eradicated most of them before they could even lift their hands. When she was in range for an attack on Yuna's captors, a fiend dropped from the ceiling and landed on her, pinning her on her stomach. "DEATH!"

She pushed the fiend off of her and stood, only to be pinned again when an explosion sent a pipe crashing into the back of her head. Rayne looked at the door with bleary eyes, and everything seemed to be in slow motion as the Guado dragged the struggling Yuna out of the door. "RAYNE!!!!"

'Yuna…'



"Yunie! Please, be here!"

Rayne's eyes snapped open when she heard Rikku's voice. She heard a gasp, "Rayne!!!"

Coughing, Rayne pushed herself off of the ground as the pipe was lifted from her back. She pushed away the concerned hands and ignored their warnings for her to stay still. She stumbled passed them and looked around the room. "Wh-where's Yuna?"

Several gasps and groans, then Rikku asking in a panicked voice, "She isn't here?!"

Rayne shook her head, grabbing her forehead and stumbling slightly, "Agh! No. She was, but… something…"

"We were attacked." Dona supplied.

"The Al Bhed and Rayne protected us and the Guado took Yuna." Issaru continued.

"Rayne tried to go to Yuna, but she was hit by the pipe just before she could make it to the door."

"We…" Issaru finished hesitantly, "We thought she was dead."

Rayne shook her head and muttered angrily, "Those slimy bastards took Yuna. I'm going after them." She took a step towards the door.

"No!" Rikku shouted, leaping at Rayne and grabbing her, "We just came from there, and we didn't see her! There's a battle going on outside, and you're injured! Just stay in the Summoner's Sanctum and you'll be safe."

Rayne shook her head again and growled, "Yuna wasn't."

Dona shook her head, "Please, stand back while we perform the sending." She walked to the Al Bhed and began praying.

Issaru nodded, "It's… the least we could do for them."

Pacce, who seemed to appear out of no where, ran up to Tidus and asked, "Hey, what's 'sacrificed'?" Tidus gapped at him and Pacce continued, "The Al Bhed said that the summoners shouldn't have to do their pilgrimages just to end up as sacrifices."

Tidus shook his head and backed away, "W-why couldn't they just trust guardians to protect the summoners… The Al Bhed had no right to stop their pilgrimage!"

Rayne shook her head and sighed, "Oh Tidus…"

Rikku looked at Tidus in disbelief. "The pilgrimages have to stop! If they don't, and they get to Zanarkand… they might defeat Sin. Yunie could… but then she…" Rikku shook her head, then looked right at Tidus, "Yunie will die, you know?!"

Tidus stumbled backwards, shaking his head. Rayne grabbed his shoulders and held him steady, sighing. He leaned back into her heavily.

Rikku continued, "You know, don't you? Summoners journey to get the Final Aeon. Yuna told you, didn't she? With the Final Aeon, she could beat Sin… but then… If she calls it, then the Final Aeon's gonna kill her!" Rikku bit back a sob, "Even if she defeats Sin, it will kill Yunie too, you know?" Unable to hold it in, Rikku dropped to her knees.

Tidus, who had been silent, whispered, "Was I the only one… who didn't know?" He yanked out of Rayne's grasp and fell to his knees, grabbing Rikku's shoulders and shaking her. "Tell me why! Why were you hiding it?!"

"We weren't hiding it…" Wakka muttered meekly.

"It…" Lulu shook her head, "It was just too hard to say."

Auron and Kimahri remained silent. Rayne closed her eyes and bit her lip until it bled.

Tidus looked at everyone around him, then dropped to his knees screaming. He started to punch the ground. "Lulu!" He groaned, "How could you?! Isn't she like a sister to you? I thought you were family! Why… why didn't you do something, Wakka? And Rayne!" He stood back on his feet and turned to her. "What about you?! Aren't parents supposed to keep their kids out of danger? But here you are escorting her to it!"

Rayne shook her head, blood flying from her chin. Her eyes were still closed. "I… we all…"

"Do you really think we didn't try to stop her?" Lulu asked, on the verge of tears. "She follows… her heart."

Rayne opened her eyes, finally allowing the tears to spill. "Tidus… I tried… so hard to stop her… but she…" Rayne smiled bitterly and sobbed, "She'd just… hug me and… say that it was what she wanted… And, like I said before, what could I have done when she had her mind set? If I continued to fight her, she would have left… and then…" She stumbled backwards and leaned against the wall, looking at the ceiling, "She would have gone anyway, and I never would have seen her again… So… so I did the only thing that would give me a bit more time with her…" She closed her eyes, "I agreed to follow her to Zanarkand, to the beginning and end, to her death…"

"Yuna…" Wakka said, "She knew, ya? She knew what she was doing when she chose to become a summoner. To face Sin, ya? Yuna knew!"

Rikku stood and shook her head, "But Wakka, that's just totally wrong! Summoners shouldn't have to sacrifice themselves… just so the rest of Spira can be happy, right?"

Some of the pyreflies form one of the yeti-fiends, a wendigo.

Issaru and Dona walk passed the group, Issaru saying, "But that is our choice…"

Dona sighed, looking back, "We all live in fear of Sin, you know that."

Issaru smiled reminiscently, "A world without Sin… That is the dream of all Yevon's children. And we will use that power, even if it means our lives!"

Pyreflies surround both of the summoners, Ifrit and Valefor forming and attacking the wendigo. After the fiend fell, Tidus screamed again and ran at the aeons, punching Valefor.

"And I've been telling Yuna… 'Let's go to Zanarkand!' I… I told her all the things we could… we could…" He stopped punching Valefor and leaned against her chest. "But, Yuna she'd… just smile…"

Valefor shook her head and fanned her wings, shielding Tidus from sight.

Rayne let out a choked laugh, "That sounds… just like her…"

"Rayne…" Rayne looked at Auron, who sighed and shook his head, "Rayne, I…"

The pyreflies of Valefor dissolved and Tidus emerged, a new resolve on his face. "I can't let her die! I'll find her!"

The ground shook and more pipes and debris fell in front of the entrance door. Rayne ran towards the other door, shouting "This way!" The door slid upward to reveal a giant docking bay, a huge red airship sitting in it. Some of the group stopped to stare, but Rayne turned on them and shouted, "GAP LATER! ON NOW!"

They ran inside, Rikku leading the way. They soon arrived on the bridge, where a bald man in overalls was barking out orders. Rayne blinked, "Cid…"

Rikku nodded, "My father… leader of the Al Bhed."

Rayne listened to what was being said for a moment, then looked at Rikku with wide eyes, "Are they really…?"

The young girl nodded sadly, "Yeah…"

The mohawked man from before was manning the controls. He looked over his shoulder and shouted, "Three minute to lainch!"

Rayne looked at him with wide eyes, "Lainch?!"

Rikku shook her head and giggled, "Launch. Here." She handed Rayne six primers. Rayne opened them and looked them over.

UI

VJ

WF

XQ

YO

ZW

Rayne was about to cheer for her nearly completed dictionary when the mohawked man shouted "Two minute!", causing her to sober up immediately.

Cid nodded and shouted, "Start launch sequence! Hey, you, by the control panel!"

Rayne blinked and looked around. Seeing the large monitor and keyboard behind her, she pointed to herself. "Me?"

Cid nodded, "Yeah, you. Turn to the panel behind you and use that panel to open up the launch pad."

Rayne nodded hesitantly, "Alright, I'll try…" She turned to the computer and pressed a key, waking the computer from hibernation and bringing it to a blank black screen with a white cursor blinking in the upper right hand corner. Panicking, Rayne squeaked, "Help!"

The computer whirred and the cursor moved, spelling out the words 'Enter Command'.

Rayne blinked, then bent over the keyboard and typed 'Open overhead launch pad'. The computer whirred again; this time the noise gradually becoming louder and louder until it sounded like it was coming from the ship and everything that surrounded it.

"Good," Cid barked, "Now back away and let it do its job."

Rayne backed away slowly, bumping into someone. She looked up at Auron and sarcastically asked, "Well, isn't this fun?"

Auron rolled his eye and growled, "Oodles."

The ship jolted and Auron grabbed Rayne's shoulders, both of them looking up at the sky as the ship rose out of its underground docking bay. It slowly hovered around the side of Home for a moment, but then picked up speed when several bird fiends flew towards it.

Several of the Al Bhed cried in astonishment, the pilot shouting, "Whoa, it flies!"

Rayne's eyes widened and she screamed, "You'd better freaking hope that it flies! Did you people not know that before?! Is this the first time it's been flown?!"

Rikku giggled, "That's my Dad for ya! Tries big and falls hard!"

"So he's impulsive?" Rayne sighed, "Grreeeaat."

"Alright." Cid growled, "Start the destruction sequence."

The bridge fell silent, the mohawked pilot beginning to solemnly sing the Hymn. Several others, including Rayne, joined in.

"Ieyui…

Nobomenu…

Renmiri…

Yojuyogo…

Hasatekanae…

Kutamae..."

Rayne closed her eyes, "A'mm bnyo vun oui."

And Home was engulfed in flames.


	31. Let's Raid Bevelle!

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Let's Raid Bevelle!)

"Hey, don't be so sad." Wakka said, trying to cheer up Rikku. "Boom! Ya? Like celebration fireworks!"

Rikku glared at him, "You can cram you happy festival, you big meanie!" She punched Wakka and walked away.

Wakka looked at the others, confused, "What did I say?"

Rayne rolled her eyes, "'Celebration fireworks', Wakka? What the hell does she have to celebrate? Let's see you celebrate if say… Besaid were to explode." Wakka sighed and walked away. Rayne shook her head, "Ugh, men." She turned to talk to Cid, only to find Tidus yelling at him.

"Where's Yuna?!"

Cid ignored him and barked a few orders in Al Bhed.

Tidus growled and spun Cid around, pulling him off of his feet. "I said, where is she?! Answer me, damn you!"

The group watched on in stunned silence. Cid just glared at Tidus and asked in an even tone, "What'll you do when you find her, eh?"

"I!—" Tidus shook his head, setting the man down, "I didn't know… anything about what a summoner is supposed to do. And… I told her all of those things without even knowing. I've got to tell her." He shook his head. "I've got to tell her I'm sorry!"

Cid scoffed, "That's it? You're gonna tell her you're sorry? And then you're just gonna drag her to Zanarkand and make her fight Sin, huh?! You're all the same!" He grabbed Tidus by the front of his shirt and hefted him into the air, "Let the summoner die so we can live in peace!" He threw Tidus over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground.

Undeterred, Tidus pulled himself to his feet, "No! I'm not gonna let Yuna die!"

"Hah! Words! Show me action!" Cid shouted, waving his hands.

Tidus stood his ground and shouted back, "I'm telling you, she won't die!"

Cid studied him for a moment, saying in a low voice, "Boy, don't forget those words, 'cause if you do…" He spoke even lower, "I'm gonna make you regret it."

Tidus nodded, "I won't."

Cid nodded, then walked over to his blue compassed map of Spira.

"So," Tidus began, walking over to stand beside the leader of the Al Bhed, "Do you know where she is?"

Cid laughed shortly, "'Course not! That's why we're gonna look!"

"So… you know something?"

Cid shook his head, "Lookin' into it. Don't worry, I'm using a sphere oscillo-finder. If she's out there, we'll get her."

Tidus cocked his head, "A sphere oscillo-wha?"

The man just waved his hand, "Ancient machina. No clue how it works, so don't ask."

Wakka and Lulu gapped, Lulu questioning in disbelief, "And you still use it?!"

Cid laughed, "Ha! I don't even rightly know how this rig flies, either! All because of the Yevon taboo on machina, we're running around in the dark here! Ain't it a rush, kiddos?"

Tidus just laughed and walked out of the room, leaving the others to stare at the strange man. Rayne walked up beside him and looked into the sphere. "So, where are you going to start looking?"

Cid shrugged, "Anywhere and everywhere. Why, you got any ideas?"

Rayne nodded and looked at the globe in the sphere. She poked at the northern part of the Spiran mainland and the globe stopped moving. She then poked three separate locations on the map, talking as their images were brought up, "Guadosalam, Macalania Temple, and Bevelle. Those are the most likely places."

Cid watched her continued to poke around, unperturbed by her immediate grasp of working the machina. "How ya figure?"

Rayne shrugged, "The Guado are the ones that took her. The Guado reside in Guadosalam and they are in charge of the Macalania Temple. Also, Yuna is considered at traitor to Yevon, and anyone who is to receive judgment on Yevon's behalf is taken to a temple. Yuna is a summoner and she committed a high crime, so the only temple it would be proper to judge her in is Bevelle. On top of that, it's one of the most highly guarded and hardest to get in to. Perfect if you're trying to keep people both in and out, and I bet the Guado definitely want to keep the Guardians of the traitor summoner Yuna out."

Cid nodded and crossed his arms, staring at the images, "You got a point. Problem is I don't know how to make the oscillo-finder focus on specific areas."

Rayne glanced at him, "Mind if I have a stab at it?"

The man shrugged his shoulders and moved to stand across from her, waving his hand, "Have at it. Couldn't by any worse than us pokin' at it."

Rayne nodded and began prodding around a bit more, frowning at the menus she brought up, all of which were written in old Spiran script. Auron walked up beside her and watched her poke and move things around on the sphere, "Do you know what you're doing?"

Rayne laughed a bit, "Nope, though I do have a vague idea. I'm a 'learn as you go' kinda person when it comes to machina."

Auron scoffed and rolled his eye, "Sounds like a hazardous approach to the situation."

"When you're shooting in the dark, Auron, everything you do is hazardous."

"I thought you didn't like machina?"

Rayne looked up at him and said, "If machina is going to help me find my baby, then machina is my new best friend."

"Ehhem." They both looked up at Cid, who quirked a questioning brow, "'Baby'?"

"Ah, yes." Rayne straightened, sticking out her hand, "We haven't been properly introduced, have we? My name is Rayne."

"Cid." Cid nodded, "So you're the one my brother-in-law left my niece to." He shook her hand, "Thanks for taking care of her."

Rayne sighed and shook her head, "I… I did the best I could."

"'Course ya did! From the way Braska described you, you wouldn't have done any less. Now," He looked back at the sphere, "Let's keep lookin'!"

Rayne nodded and returned to poking the sphere. After finding nothing in Guadosalam and Macalania, she turned to the last place she figured Yuna would be. 'Please oh please, don't let her be there.'

As she began her detailed search, Auron and Cid got to talking. And, taking into account their simultaneously similar and different personalities, this led to Auron and Cid fighting.

"After rescuing Yuna, then what? You want to keep her safe, correct? Would you seek to stop her pilgrimage?"

Tidus walked back into the room and stood beside Rayne, whispering, "They're already at it?"

Rayne sighed and nodded, "Yep."

"'Course I would!" Came Cid's barking voice, "If she continues this fool pilgrimage, she will die, sure as if you killed her yourself! No hare-brained law or teaching can send my little niece to her death! When I save her, I'll make her give up being a summoner quicker than a desert melts ice!"

Auron quirked a brow, "Even against her will?"

"Better than a dog's death!" Cid's eyes bore into Auron's, and he said in a challenging tone, "And I'll take down anyone who don't agree."

Auron sighed and rolled his eye, "You are the captain." Auron turned to walk out of the room, but Rayne grabbed his arm. She looked at him and he shrugged, "Let him say what he will."

Rayne sighed and shook her head, "Stay by me. I'm almost finished with my search of Bevelle, and I might need more suggestions if Yuna doesn't turn up there…" She turned back to the sphere and tapped something, her eyes immediately widening, "Better yet, I just might need your support. Cid, I found her!"

"What?!" The mohawked man yelled in Al Bhed.

"I said I found her." Rayne answered in like.

"Where at?" Cid asked, joining them in Al Bhed.

Rayne shook her head, "Have a look." She pressed something and an image came up on the glass roof of the bridge. It showed Yuna dressed in a white gown, standing on a high platform painted red and flying red banners. She was surrounded by men holding guns, and Mika was behind her. To her right, though, was…

"SEYMOUR?!?!"

The image faded and Tidus yelled at Rayne, "Where was that at?!"

Rayne only shook her head, eyes wide with disbelief. Lulu stepped forward and said, "The Palace of St. Bevelle. Heart of Yevon."

"Well, then, let's go!"

Cid shook his head, "Easy, kiddo. Bevelle's defenses are top-notch."

Tidus crossed his arms and cocked his head, "What's the matter, gramps? You scared?" He then planted his feet and pointed to where the image had been, "Yuna's there, so we go and get her! And that's all."

There was a moment of silence, broken by Cid bursting into laughter. "You got guts." He turned to the mohawked pilot, commanding in Al Bhed, "Set course to Bevelle. Full speed ahead!"

The man nodded, "Roger!"

The airship put on a sudden burst of speed, causing Tidus to fall over. Rayne laughed and shook her head, then turned to Auron, "Is he… is Seymour an…"

The older guardian nodded, "It would appear that way."

Rayne sighed, then turned to Cid and tried to lighten the mood by changing the conversation, "So, Cid, what have you decided to name the airship?"

Cid nodded and patted the oscillo-finder, "We'll call her the _Fahrenheit_."

Rayne cocked her head, "Any particular reason?"

He nodded again, grinning, "'Cause she's gonna turn up the heat on those damned Yevonites for kidnapping my little niece."

Rayne smiled and stepped away from the sphere, walking over to talk to an apparently confused Wakka. "What's wrong, Wakka?"

The ex-blitzer frowned and shook his head, "Just getting over Seymour's sudden resurrection." He paused, then turned to Rayne, "What was Yuna wearing?"

Rayne sighed and shook her head, "It's called a wedding dress."

Wakka balked and stared at her with wide eyes, "You serious?!"

She sighed again, "Yep."

"You know, Rayne," Tidus began, walking up when he had regained his balance, "All things considered, you seem pretty calm about this."

"Oh, I'm fine." Rayne said with a smile on her face, "I've already decided what Seymour's punishment is going to be."

"Oh?" Lulu asked, walking up as well, "And what will it be?"

Rayne smiled even wider, her eyes closing, "I'm going to castrate the bastard."

When she didn't hear an immediate reaction, Rayne opened her eyes and looked around herself.

The entire bridge had fallen silent. All of the males were looking at her with wide eyes, most of them extremely pale. Lulu and Rikku just stared at her with wide eyes. Rayne smiled and closed her eyes again, saying in a cheery voice, "Yep. So, for those of you who have entertained thoughts of ever ticking me off, take Seymour's mistake as a forewarning." She then turned on her heel and walked out of the room, leaving the bridge in an uncomfortable silence.

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She wandered around the _Fahrenheit_ for a bit, looking around the rooms and using the compile sphere she stumbled across to officially finish her Al Bhed dictionary. Not long after this, she found a familiar face.

"Hello, Master Rin!" Rayne greeted him in perfect Al Bhed, "I'm glad to see that you escaped from Home unscathed."

Rin stared at her with wide eyes, then broke into a smile, "As I am for you. I had heard that you were at Home, but I was unsure if it was true."

"Well, it was. Just… visiting."

Rin nodded, knowing why she had really been there, "Ah, yes… well… I see that you have finished your dictionary."

Rayne nodded and smiled, "Yes, I have. I know that my pronunciation may be a bit off, but how do I sound?"

The merchant smiled widely, "Near perfect. Just a bit more practice and people might start to mistake you for one of us."

Rayne rolled her eyes and laughed, "Yeah, right. A blue-eyed brunette in a sea of spiral-pupiled, green-eyed blonds, and people might think I'm Al Bhed. Sure, Rin, sure."

He laughed loudly, then went into business mode, "May I help you?"

Foreseeing many battles ahead, Rayne stocked up on as many items as she could carry, as well as a few new weapons for the others. When she was heavily loaded, Rayne thanked Rin and headed back to the bridge, stumbling and tripping a bit as she went. Kimahri found her running into walls and took a few of her items from her, admiring the new lance she had bought him.

Back on the bridge, she split the items and handed them out, then handed everyone their weapons. Lastly, she walked over to Auron and turned around, showing him the large katana she had strapped to her back. "I don't even want to try to lift this thing, so you take it."

Auron chuckled and unstrapped it, running an appreciative eye over the blade. "What abilities does this have?"

"'Deathstrike'. It's called the Blurry Moon. Here, you might need this, as well." She handed him a new bracer. "It's got three empty slots on it, but it came with 'Stoneward'." She shrugged, "No telling what new abilities Seymour has gained."

He nodded and took the bracer, looking her over, "What about you?"

Rayne quirked a brow, then unzipped her jacket to reveal a shimmering breastplate that, when turned in the light, shone four different colors, "'Thunderproof', 'Fireproof', 'Waterproof', and 'Iceproof'."

Auron brows raised high, "And how much did that cost?"

"Actually, I only bought it with two. Rikku added 'Thunderproof' and 'Fireproof' to it just a moment ago."

"Hmm. And your staff?"

She lifted it, "Same as always. Only, this time, the gem turned into a sapphire, so it's got 'Waterstrike'."

"Hmm."

Rayne sighed and walked away from him, heading back out into the hallway. Auron sighed and looked around. Everyone was too occupied with preparing for battle to notice, so he slipped out after her.

He found her sitting in a corner, her staff leaned against the wall and her braid pulled over her shoulder and draped across her lap. She was looking at the wall opposite her, a melancholy glaze covering her eyes.

"Rayne?"

"I couldn't do it."

Auron blinked and walked over to her, kneeling down, "What?"

She smiled a hollow smile, "When it got right down to it and it was purely guarding Yuna, no strings attached and no other distractions on my mind, I couldn't do it. I failed her."

Auron shook his head and sighed, "Rayne…"

She sighed and shook her head, "I… I won't fail her again. I will protect her this time."

Auron nodded, "We all will, together. I plan on keeping you by my side this time, Rayne. I won't let either of you out of my sight."

Rayne looked and him, "Auron…"

He sighed and looked at the ground. "Rayne… when… when Sin took us to Bikanel, I saw something. It… it looked like visions of your life."

"They were. You did see them."

"Why?"

She shrugged, "Jecht wanted you to." She smiled, "Trying to play matchmaker, even while he's Sin."

They lapsed into silence, then after a moment Auron stood and held out his hand. Rayne accepted it and he pulled her to her feet. The ship suddenly lurched and Rayne fell into Auron, his arms automatically wrapping around her.

They both froze. Rayne felt her face burning and her pulse in her ears. Auron's arms made a few jerky movements around her, but remained in place. Rayne's pulse gradually began to slow and her burning face started to return to normal. As she relaxed, she leaned into him, and Auron's arms tightening around her.

The moment ended when the door to the bridge opened and feet pounded down the hallway. Rayne and Auron quickly came to and they pushed away from each other, Rayne subconsciously taking out her Sphere Grid and moving her little icon around. How long had it been since the last time she had upgraded?...

Tidus ran up to them and spoke in a hurried, panicked voice. "We've got a problem! There's some kind of shield around Bevelle, and Lulu says we're going to need a load of high-level magic that we don't have."

Rayne raised a brow. "Oh, I beg to differ."


	32. Bevelle I: Believe

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Bevelle: Believe)

"Okay, now run this by me again, what are we going to do to you?"

Rayne rolled her eyes and explained to the party for the umpteenth time. "I need you to make me really mad." The group exchanged glances and Rayne groaned. "Look, I'm only able to tap into my vast stores of powerful magic when I'm feeling a solid, unadulterated emotion, and one of the most basic ones known to the human mind. The easiest one is anger." She quirked a brow, "Unless someone volunteers for love?" Tidus pointed to Auron and Rayne smacked the boy in the head with a block of solid ice. "Anyone else have any brilliant ideas or suggestions? No? No. Good." She sighed and braced her feet. "Now, make me angry."

Wakka scratched the back of his head, "Uhh… you're old."

Rayne rolled her head and groaned, "Come on, already! Smack me with something else! More… anger-making!"

Tidus shrugged, "Alright, you asked for it." He took a deep breath and said, "You and Auron need to get a room already! Honestly, the sexual tension between you two is making all of is jittery!"

Rayne preformed a full-body twitch and lunged at Tidus, but was stopped when Lulu grabbed her stomach and pulled her back. "Keep going!" The younger Mage shouted.

Wakka shook his head, muttering, "Here goes nothing." He raised his voice, "Just think, when the wedding ceremony is over Yuna's gonna have to kiss Seymour, and who knows what liberties he'll take with that!"

Rayne twitched again, a wicked smile forming on her face. No one wanted to know her thoughts at that moment.

Auron shrugged, "All those times that Sebastian left the library door open and the dog chewed the books up? He did it on purpose. And when you went looking for him? Your brother hid him."

Rayne deadpanned, but had a twitch in her right eye and her lift cheek.

Rikku thought really hard, "Um…" She snapped her fingers, "Remember when Yunie was kidnapped at the Moonflow? Well, the guy who grabbed her told me he groped her on the way down, but was disappointed when he didn't feel anything."

"WHAT?!" Everyone, including Rayne, looked at Rikku with wide eyes, Rayne's flashing red. Rikku looked at the Ronso, "Kimahri, go!"

The Ronso grunted and seemed to frown, "Five years ago, Rayne's hair turned pink for three weeks and she not know why. Wakka put dye in her shampoo."

"I've caught Auron spying on you while you were singing in the shower!"

"I was the ringleader behind the prank to steal your clothes when you were bathing in that spring back on Besaid."

"Your cooking sucks, even when you're not cooking fiend."

"Your cooking actually tastes better when you cook fiend, but only marginally."

"I'm the one who volunteered you for Temple duty all those years."

"It was Lulu's fault that you were stuck changing the urinals for the elderly that one really hot summer."

"Tidus is the one who put the Qactuar in your sleeping bag."

"The chocobo came before the egg."

Rayne snapped, the air around her crackling and a red haze covering her eyes, "IT WAS THE EGG!!!"

Wakka shook his head, "No, I'm pretty sure it was the chocobo."

Rayne glared at him, "Blizzaga." Wakka froze in a block of ice and Rayne looked back to the others, "Anyone else?"

Lulu turned to Cid, "Go on and head to Bevelle. We should have her ready by then." There was a flash of light and Tidus screamed. Lulu blinked, "But please, feel free to take your time."

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Rayne, still in her angry-unstable mode, looked ahead unblinkingly. "Alright, I just have to break through the barrier, right? Then I can go back to normal?"

Lulu nodded, "Yep, that's all you have to do."

Rayne nodded, "Good, because I'm finding it really hard to resist the urge to run Wakka through right now."

She heard Wakka stutter from behind her, "W-wh-why me?!"

Rayne shrugged, "You just seem to be the 'run through with a bladed staff' type."

Cid cut off the conversation, "Get ready, we're almost there."

Rikku called out in Al Bhed, "Alright, Brother, just drive right at the shield! We'll take care of the rest!"

Brother shuddered, "Just keep that crazy woman under control, and I should be alright."

Rayne's eyes flashed and she hissed in Al Bhed, "I can understand you, dear Brother."

"Rayne, the shield!"

Rayne looked out the window at what stood in their way. It was an iridescent dome made of a moving rainbow, the colors never ceasing their movement. Lulu shook her head in disbelief, "That shield is pure magic. How many Black and White Mages do they have holding it up?"

Rayne blinked, "One hundred and twelve." Lulu stared at her and she shrugged. "I can feel them…"

"But can you break their wills?"

Rayne laughed cruelly, her eyes returning to their old icy-blue. "There is no person in Bevelle with a will stronger than what mine currently is. I will break them like twigs under a courel's paws." She smiled widely and her fingers began to twitch.

"Closing in!" Brother called.

Rayne pushed her right foot backwards and centered her weight, breathing slowly.

"Almost there, get ready!" Cid barked.

Rayne closed her eyes and cleared her mind, the red mist leaving but the connection to her immense stores of magic remaining open.

"Here it comes!"

'In and out. In and out. Just focus on what you need to do, use your will to make a wedge to push aside the barrier. Calm your mind. Focus your magic. In and out…'

"Now!"

Heading Auron's command, Rayne opened her eyes. She could feel her magic stretching out all around them; within the room, around the ship, and before the prow, where it acted to split the air. Any natural wind resistance that the ship had previously felt vanished and the controls took over for themselves, Brother taking his hands away and staring in awe as they moved back and forth slightly to keep themselves on course.

"It flies itself!"

"Quiet, you!" Cid kicked Brother in the back of the head and watched Rayne, nervous at the look in her eyes. She looked… empty, like whatever had been her had left her body and gone… somewhere else.

Rayne felt her point dive into the barrier and rend it, dividing it around the ship and forming a hole. The ship slowed a bit as she fought the wills of the Mages, but she pushed it on. The airship was almost through oscillo-finder suddenly flickered and an image formed above them; an image of Seymour staring at them with a cruel smile on his face.

The ship stopped moving. The lights flickered and the oscillo-finder shut down, but the image remained. When the airship began to shudder, everyone turned to look at Rayne, unsure of what to do. Lulu reached out and tried to add her magic to Rayne's, but was met by a blunt shield.

Rayne pushed Lulu's mind away and honed her concentration, fining the tip and aiming it directly at Seymour's will, which had joined the wills of the other Mages in holding the barrier.

Above them, the image of Seymour tilted its head, his mouth moving as if to say something but no words being heard.

Rayne felt her grip slipping, but shook her head and pushed harder, "Oh no you don't, you slimy little weasel."

Seymour smirked and his hand came into the picture, rising to his eyelevel and his fingers snapping.

Rayne groaned and the _Fahrenheit_ shuddered violently. "Where did he get this magic? Whose will is he leaning against for support?"

She shook her head and drew her magic back, leaving only enough to protect the airship. Seymour's smirk became a triumphant grin, but Rayne grinned sadistically. "You think it's over?"

Her hand suddenly snapped upward and she raised it shoulder level, using its sudden rise to accentuate one last powerful jab of her will and magic.

Seymour flinched and his image disappeared, the lights of the _Fahrenheit_ turning back on and the ship moving forward faster than before. Then, the iridescent shield was gone and the controls stopped working themselves, the airship suddenly dive-bombing.

"EYYYAHHHH!" Brother screamed, lunging forward to grab the controls and drag them back, making the airship shoot up at a sharp incline before leveling out.

"Whooey!" Cid exclaimed, "What a rush! Still got your stomachs, kiddos?"

He was answered by several groans, to which he smirked, "Well, at least ya still got your lungs."

"Rayne, was that last part really necessary?" Tidus groaned, pulling himself to his feet. Not getting the snappy reply he was expecting, Tidus looked around worriedly, "Rayne?"

"Lady Rayne!"

Tidus ran over to where Wakka's cry had come from, eyes widening at the sight of the groups second oldest member. Rayne was lying sprawled on her back, eyes closed and face extremely pale, covered in a thin sheen of sweat. She was breathing through her mouth, her breath coming in shot quick pants, and her eyes were moving back and forth rapidly beneath her eyelids.

Wakka, who was kneeling beside her head, felt her pulse, shaking his head and looking at everyone with wide eyes as they gathered around. "It's really slow."

Auron knelt beside her, "Rayne?"

She didn't move, didn't respond. Cid walked up to the group, "Sorry to interrupt, but there's a large energy signature approaching the ship. If you're all going to Bevelle, now's the time." He looked at Rayne and shook his head, "Don't worry, we'll watch her."

Auron stood and looked at the others, "Let's go."

Wakka shook his head, "Sir Auron…"

The older guardian sighed and looked at Rayne, "She'll be… fine. We need to get to Yuna."

The group nodded, then ran out of the room, Auron pausing to glance at Rayne before following.

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Rayne's eyes snapped open and she jumped to her feet, glancing around for the rest of the group. Her eyes landed on Cid, "Where are they?"

The man shook his head, "Fiends and Guado are on the ship. They went to take care of a few of them and then jump ship at Bevelle. Took off 'bout fifteen minutes ago."

Rayne nodded and grabbed her staff, ignoring the protesting calls that followed her out of the room and running towards the deck. As she ran along the corridors, Issaru, Dona, and Maroda held the few remaining Guado and fiends at bay, waving to her as she passed. She had just run through the final set of doors and up the stairs when she heard bits of her companion's conversation from above.

"… Evrae, Sacred Guardian of Bevelle." Lulu was saying.

She heard Auron chuckle, "The red carpet has teeth."

"Am I mistaken, or did Sir Stoic just make a funny?" Rayne asked as she ran up the final steps, waving to the group when they looked at her with wide eyes. "Hey all!"

Wakka gapped like a fish, "Lady Rayne?"

Rayne smiled and flashed a peace sign, "In the flesh. Now, are we gonna go face that overgrown albino lizard, or are we gonna sit back and gap at it all day?!" This seemed to rally the group, for they cheered and ran towards the door that led to the deck. Rayne moved to follow them, but was stopped when someone grabbed her arm.

Auron glared at her. "You probably shouldn't be moving."

Rayne shook her head, face serious, "Auron, I can help. I'm fine, honestly." When he glared at her even harder, she sighed and relented, "If a bit woozy… but don't worry," She quickly added at his skeptical look, "I'll keep out of the main fight and just cast from the back, alright?"

Auron sighed and let her go, "If I see you on the front line, you'll find yourself knocked straight into next week."

As they both went over to the lift, Tidus shouted in disbelief, "We gotta pay?!"

Rin, who was smiling and holding out a mat of his wares, bowed slightly, "I am confident you shall succeed."

The lift took them out onto the wide deck, the surface slightly grainy to make traction easier. When the great white dragon swooped up on their right side, Rayne hugged the left and began to release her spells. When Evrae reared its head and roared, Tidus shouted out, "PULL BACK, QUICK!"

The intercom crackled and Cid shouted back, "Just a minute!" A few turns later, the ship moved backwards just in time for the poisonous cloud that fled Evrae's to spiral out of control and miss the group. The intercom crackled again, "Now, if ya'll just let the ship idle like this for a minute, we can open a can of whoopin' on that dragon!"

Wakka and Lulu ran forward, Rayne moving to join them but Auron stopping her with a threatening glare. Rayne hung back until the ship flew closer to Evrae again, her feeling of jubilation at watching the rockets take a chunk out of the dragon for them quelled. When the dragon swooped back in and dealt a massive amount of damage to everyone on the front line, Rayne dug out Hi-Potions and began to chuck them to her friends, thus initiating her designation as the healer for the rest of the battle.

When Evrae fell a short time later, the intercom crackled and Cid shouted, "WOOHOO! Alright! Now, you kids get to the edge, we're gonna release the docking cables for you to use. Bring Yuna out safely!"

The group ran up to the edge and waited, getting a nice view of Bevelle. The ship dove and flew up beside the wedding platform, cables shooting out and clamping onto the edge of the railing of the building. Before they jumped down onto them, Rayne called out, "Hey! Everything that was said in the bridge to get us through the shield; let's forget all about it!" They smiled and nodded, then jumped.

Rayne focused on not looking down to the hundreds of feet of air below her, focusing instead on doing the impossible and sliding down the cables. 'Tarzan ain't got nothin' on me!' When cable met railing, Rayne jumped landed a bit awkwardly on the isle, one knee on the ground and her arms spread out at her sides. She brushed it off, jumped to her feet, and began to assail the warrior monks that attacked her and the group.

As they beat their way through the waves of monks, Rayne and the group kept an ever vigilant eye on the alter and those who waited there for them. Mika stared at them with an unreadable expression, Seymour seemed to have a cross of annoyance and amusement on his face, and poor Yuna seemed to be both happy to see them and worried to see them being attacked by the Bevellian monks.

When they were standing at the foot of the alter, Mika cried, "Stop!" The party froze and was they were instantly held at gunpoint.

Yuna used the distraction to back away from Seymour slowly, taking her stave out of Yevon knows where and holding it up and laterally, both hands on the grip. "Seymour!"

The half-Guado turned towards her, laughing when he saw the stave, "You would play at marriage… for a chance to send me?" He put his hand over his mouth and tittered, "How… amusing." Yuna spun her staff a bit, to which he raised his hand, "Wait." Using his other hand, he waved to the gunmen, who cocked their guns, one of them firing into Rayne's shoulder, to which she only bit her lip. Seymour smiled when Yuna gasped, "Which shall it be; marriage or your friends lives? It's entirely up to you."

Yuna looked at Rayne, who was clutching her bleeding shoulder, with wide eyes, mouthing, "I'm sorry." The young summoner then hesitantly dropped the stave, which thumped down the steps and came to a stop at Tidus's feet.

"Yuna, no!"

The young summoner just shook her head and turned back to Seymour, who smiled and nodded, "Wise choice."

Mika took that as his cue and began to hastily read through the wedding rites, nodding to Seymour when he was complete. Seymour then took Yuna by the shoulders and took a step closer to her, his body pressing against his.

Tidus and Auron both jerked forward a bit, stopped by the guns. Lulu gasped and Rikku let out a small wail. Wakka shook his head over and over, and Kimahri growled long and low. Rayne's entire body shook, the hand holding her staff tightening until her knuckles turned pure white, the hand holding her shoulder digging into her bleeding skin, and her hate-filled eyes boring into Seymour's head.

He kissed her.

The wedding bells rang.

Yuna slumped against him, disgust and revulsion on her face.

Seymour looked at the group and smiled at their glares. "Kill them."

Yuna gasped and looked up at him, her eyes wide. The guardians scowled and stood their ground, battle stances taken and ready to fight, no matter the numbers they faced.

"SEYMOUR!" They all turned and stared at Yuna, eyes wide. She had slipped to the back, unnoticed, and was standing on the ledge of the two or three hundred foot drop. "Let them go." The monks and Seymour took a step closer to her, and she took a step back.

Seymour put on his patented 'diplomat voice' and tried to talk to her, "This is pointless. If you fall you will die."

Yuna bit her lip and took another step backward. Tidus ran up the steps, stopping beside Seymour and shouting, "Yuna!"

Rayne ran up on Seymour's other side and shouted, "Yuna, get down from there right now! I did not just get shot so you could commit suicide!"

Yuna looked at Tidus beseechingly, "Don't worry. I. Can. Fly." Tidus must have looked skeptical, because she smiled, "Believe."

Rayne looked between Tidus and Yuna, shaking her head slowly, "They must have slipped something into her food. Damn it, Yuna, YOU CANNOT FLY! YOU ARE HUMAN!"

Tidus backed away from Yuna, pushing Seymour out of the way to grab Rayne. "Good luck, Yuna." Tidus threw Rayne a look. "Trust her."

Rayne looked between the two teens again, finally sighing and shaking her head slowly. "If you die, I'll kill you."

Yuna smiled.

Seymour called out, "Wait!" Everyone looked at him, then turned back.

The distraction had been long enough. Yuna was gone. Only three floating feathers remained. Rayne blanched. "YUUNAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!"


	33. Bevelle II: Crime and Punishment

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Bevelle II: Crime and Punishment)

"Damn it Rayne, come on!" Tidus yelled as he yanked Rayne down the steps of the alter.

Rayne wasn't listening, though. She was still looking at the last place Yuna had been at. "YUNA!!! YUNA, COME BACK!!!! YUNAAA!!!!!!"

Rikku ran forward and grabbed Rayne's other arm, helping Tidus drag her. The group barely caught a glimpse of red and silver as Valefor shot passed, diving out of sight. Tidus shouted, "Come on! Let's go!"

Rikku shouted, "Look out!" Then took a ball out of her pouch and threw it at the ground where it cracked open, a blinding light pouring out of it.

Rayne felt herself being drug away by Tidus and Rikku, the others running behind them. Wakka groaned, "What was that?"

Rikku shouted back, "An Al Bhed flash bomb. Jump here!" Rikku and Tidus jumped, still pulling a blinded Rayne behind them.

Rayne kept her eyes clenched shut, her irises burning and pain bleeding into her brain. Rikku and Tidus continued to pull her down an unseen path, talking animatedly with the rest of the group.

"Where was she going?" Rikku asked.

"Beyond being a city, Bevelle is basically a giant temple, so…" Lulu trailed off.

"She's going to the Cloister, then to the Chamber for the fayth." Auron finished.

"What fayth is here? Another elemental?" Tidus asked.

Rayne shook her head and was hit by a wave a nausea, "Ugh, no. No more elementals. This one is Bahamut, the holy dragon. Probably the second or third most powerful non-elemental, and that's just taking beginning stats into mind…"

Though she couldn't hear him, she could tell Tidus was looking at her, "So… he's big, then?"

Rayne started to nod, but was hit with another wave of nausea, "Uhh, yeah, huge."

"You've seen him, then?"

Rayne could feel Auron looking at her now. "Yeah, once, a long time ago."

"Let's go in here!" The sound of Rikku pressing something and a door sliding open, then the girl pulling Rayne into darkness.

Rayne silt her eyes open, then blinked and opened them all the way, getting a good look around her. They were standing at the tip of a cylindrical tower on a small platform, a small staircase-like platform and a small control panel nearby.

She heard a gasp behind her and turned to look at Wakka, who was looking around himself in horror and confusion. "Wh-what's going on? How do we get down?"

Rayne shook her head and grabbed the ex-blitzer's arm, pulling him onto the stair-platform. The others soon joined and Rikku pressed a few buttons on the panel. "This," Rayne explained when the platform began to move, "Is how we get down."

Wakka just shook his head in disbelief. "Why… is all this forbidden machina here?

He turned to Rikku, who shrugged, "Must be convenient."

He scowled, "That's not what I mean."

Auron chuckled and patted Wakka's shoulder, "Yevon is showing its true face."

The ex-blitzer groaned and slapped his hand to his forhead, "This can't be happening."

Rayne sighed angrily and glared at him, "But it is, and there's no use denying it. Pay close attention, Wakka, because this is what you have been devoting your entire life to; a religion that preaches and contradicts for its own convenience."

After several moments of machina-induced transport the lift finally came to a stop. The group stepped off and continued down the one-way path, descending several flights before arriving at a door with an odd symbol above it. Rayne stopped and stared at the symbol, an all but forgotten dream from so long ago returning.

"This is the entrance to the Temple." She announced.

Tidus sighed, murmuring, "Please, be here."

Auron walked passed both of them, the door sliding open as he stood directly in front of it, "Let's go." He disappeared inside. The rest of the group followed him.

Rayne looked at the Trials with wide eyes, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no…" The group looked at her oddly and she grabbed Auron's coat, closing her eyes. "Really, really high and no end in sight…"

Auron quirked a brow and smirked, "Afraid of heights, are you?"

She growled and glared at him through a slit eye, "No. I just… have a serious dislike of high locations, especially when you can't see the bottom… That's not the same as being afraid of heights. I Do Not Have A Phobia!!!!"

Wakka clucked his tongue and shook his head, "Phobia or not, Lady Rayne, we need to go through the Cloister."

Rayne sighed and detached herself from Auron, "Lead on, then."

As they progressed through the twisted and confusing Trials, they repeatedly got turned around and confused as to what spheres they had already used and what paths led where. After nearly an hour, Rikku and Tidus were at it again.

"It goes over there!"

"No, it goes up and over there!"

"Ugh, we already finished that part of the Trials, so why would it go there?!"

"So we can get that other Bevelle Sphere!"

"Tidus, we don't need another Bevelle Sphere, we need the Glyph Sphere!"

"We already used the Glyph Sphere, remember?!"

"Then what, oh brilliant one, do we ne—" Kimahri stepped between them and took the sphere from Rikku, putting it into an unseen slot between the two and revealing the Destruction Sphere.

The two teens watched sheepishly as the Ronso took the purple sphere and lead them back to another slot, where he put it in an activated an unseen lift. "We go."

At the top of the stairs, Rayne stopped the group before anyone could jump at the obvious box and summoned the pedestal to the top, pushing it to reveal another box. When she returned, she handed Kimahri a new, ornate lance. "Knight Lance. Looks pretty powerful."

The Ronso nodded, testing his new weapon. The group then moved to the antechamber, where they stood uneasily and looked at the door. Tidus shuffled his feet, "Well?"

Lulu shook her head, "If she's anywhere, she's in there. But we…"

Tidus, though, had stopped listening after 'there' and nodded, "Right." He then walked up to the door and bent in front of it, grabbing the bottom and putting all of his strength into lifting it open.

Wakka gasped and stepped forward, stuttering, "It-it's T-taboo!"

Tidus groaned and redoubled his efforts, "You can stuff your Taboos!"

Kimahri grunted, then moved forward and began to help Tidus lift. After a moment the door shifted and began to yield, slowly lifting upward. When it was waist-level to Tidus, Kimahri grunted and nodded, giving the teen the signal to duck and roll under the door. It slammed back to the ground with an air of finality.

Wakka groaned and stared at the door, "Now what?"

Auron shrugged, "We wait."

Rayne nodded, "And guard the door."

The ex-blitzer frowned and crossed his arms, "Why we 'guard' the door?"

Rayne laughed bitterly and turned to the entrance arch, taking out her staff and crossing her arms, "You really think that someone won't have already guessed where we went? We'd be stupid to not suspect the worst."

The group nodded and turned to the arch, as well, their weapons at ready and their stances slightly tense. Rayne closed her eyes and listened, praying to hear any footsteps before their owners drew too close. She could have sworn she heard the rustle clothes and someone step towards the doorway to the Chamber, but shook it off when the 'footsteps' seemed to continue through the door as if it were nothing. 'Must be my imagination…'

After several moments, Kimahri heard what Rayne had been waiting to hear and shouted, "They come!" The party tensed and readied their weapons, aiming them when a group of warrior monks ran in and pointed their guns, Wen Kinoc striding in a moment after them.

"Ah." The maester shook his head, "I had a feeling you might come here. That was horribly predictable of you. Tell me, did Auron approve of this? Because if he did, he's loosing his touch."

Ignoring the implication that Auron was no longer in the room, Rayne growled and stepped forward, "At least he's loosing it long after you did, maester." She put as much emphasis on the last word as to make it sound like an insult.

Kinoc sniffed and glared at her, "You are Rayne, yes?" His answer was a glare, and he smirked. "You were quite a celebrity here in Bevelle a few years ago. People couldn't decide if you were an honorable faux-guardian or a harlot. We actually felt a bit bad for Lord Braska and Auron. Even if they were outcasts at the time, traveling with the likes of you was an all-time low for them, even lower than when Sir Jecht joined them."

There were several gasps from behind Rayne and a deep growl issued from Kimahri, "Lady Rayne is honorable. Far more honorable than most in Yevon."

Several guns pointed in the Ronso's direction and Rayne stepped in front of them, raising her hands and laughing, "Now now, that's completely unnecessary. Kimahri," she glanced over her shoulder, "Thank you, but please, this really isn't much of a time for upholding honor. I think the last thing we need is defiance added to the charges I'm sure they have against us."

"Oh, no need to worry," Kinoc smirked when Rayne looked back at him, "We've already got that one well covered."

The company heard the door behind them open and groaned, Rikku shouting, "Don't come out!" But it was too late.

The monks raised their guns again and Kinoc nodded. "That's the last of them." He nodded to the group, "You are to stand trial."

Auron walked up beside Rayne and smirked, "I expect it will be a fair trial?"

Kinoc laughed and smirked back, "Of course it will." He waved to the guards, who ran forward and surrounded the group.

Rayne sighed and looked at Auron, her staff taken from her and her hands behind her back, "Do me a favor and define 'fair' again."

Auron smirked bitterly, "You'll see soon enough."

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"The High Court of Yevon is now in session." The voice, its owner a tall and regal Ronso, boomed and reverberated through the room. "The sacred offices of this court seek nothing but absolute truth, in Yevon's name. To those on trial: Believe in Yevon, and speak only the truth."

Lulu bent and whispered in Tidus's ear, "Maester Kelk Ronso."

Kelk waited a moment, then continued with the proceedings, "Summoner Yuna. You have sworn to protect the people of Yevon, true?"

Yuna, who had been separated from the group and was standing on a floating pedestal, nodded, "Yes."

"Then consider: You have inflicted dire injury upon Maester Seymour Guado, conspired with the Al Bhed and joined in their insurrection. These are traitorous and unforgivable crimes that disturb the order of Yevon. Tell this court what possessed you to participate in such violence." The Ronso nodded to her when he had finished.

Yuna bowed, "Your Grace… The real traitor is Maester Seymour! He killed his father Jyscal with his own hands!"

Kelk blinked rapidly and asked in astonishment, "What is this?!" He turned to Mika and Seymour, who were on the same balcony as him.

Seymour tilted his head and smiled, "Hmm? Hadn't you heard?"

"Not only that…" Kelk turned back to Yuna with a look on his face that read 'There's more?!'. Yuna continued, "Maester Seymour is already dead!"

Lulu stepped forward at this point, "It is the summoner's sacred duty to send the souls of the departed to the Farplane! Yuna was only doing her job as a summoner!"

Yuna nodded and turned to Mika, "Grand Maester Mika… Please send Seymour now!"

Mika frowned, "Send the unsent… to where they belong?"

Yuna nodded, "Yes." When Mika laughed a bit and shook his head, Yuna balked, "Y-your Grace?"

Mika shook his head again, "Send the dead… hmm?" His outline became indistinct and a few pyreflies swirled around him. "You would have to send me, too."

The group gasped and Wakka yelped, "What?!"

Kelk spoke, "Grand Maester Mika is a wise leader. Even in death, he is invaluable to Spira."

Kinoc, who had his own balcony, stepped forward, "Enlightened rule by the dead is preferable to the misguided failures of the living."

"Life," Seymour continued, "Is but a passing dream, but the death that follows is eternal."

Mika sighed and continued, "Men die. Beasts die. Trees die. Even continents perish. Only the power of death truly commands Spira. Resisting its power is futile."

Yuna shook her head and slammed her fist into the banister of her pedestal, "But what of Sin? I am a summoner, My Lord, like my father before me! I am on a pilgrimage to stop the death that Sin brings. Are you… Are you telling me that that, too, is futile?! Grand Maester Mika, I am not alone! All of the people who have opposed Sin… Their battles, their sacrifices— were they all in vain?!"

Mika shook his head, "Not in vain. No matter how many summoners give their lives, Sin cannot be truly defeated. The rebirth cannot be stopped. Yet, the courage of those who fight gives the people hope. There is nothing futile about the life and death of a summoner."

Auron sighed. It occurred to Rayne that he must have heard this before. He shook his head, "Never futile… but never ending."

Yuna shook her head when Mika nodded. He looked right at her, "Indeed, that is the essence of Yevon."

Yuna continued to shake her head, mumbling, "Lord Mika!"

Mika continued, his voice rising, "Yevon is embodied by eternal, unchanging continuity, summoner."

"No," Yuna said, her voice rising, "That can't be right!"

Mika's voice rose even more, "Those who oppose these truths— they are traitors!"

Yuna shouted, "Lord Mika!"

Rayne slammed her hand onto the edge of the balcony, "ENOUGH!" Everyone looked at her, and she looked directly at Mika, "You say 'enlightened rule', Maester Mika, but I beg to differ."

Mika raised a brow, "Oh?"

Rayne nodded and stood straight, "History tells us… that it will always repeat itself. That what has once happened, will happen again and again, that there is no stopping it."

The unsent High Maester nodded, "That has held true many a time, as it does in this circumstance, yes."

Rayne nodded, "Yes. And endless cycle, one that has perhaps a defined beginning, but no definite ending. You all," She nodded to the rest of the maesters, "Shall continue to preach the same things to all of the people of Spira for generations to come, and thus ensure the cycle, and even thus ensure that the bloody history of Spira shall repeat itself indefinitely; that Sin shall rise, summoners shall defeat, and Sin shall rise again."

Mika nodded again, "Yes, indeed. As I have said, that is the essence of Yevon. Get to your point, guardian."

Rayne held up her hands, "Of course." She lowered her hands and looked around at all of the maesters. "I question if this form of ruling truly is 'enlightened'."

"What?!" Kelk roared, "How dare you! Of course it is! By having rulers who have experienced the mistakes of those of the past, we can ensure that those mistakes—"

"'Will not be repeated in the future', yes?" When the Ronso didn't reply, Rayne nodded, "I know, Maester Kelk, I have heard it all before, and believe me when I say this: It never works for long." She looked to the rest of the maesters, "In repeating the methods of the past that you define as 'working', you are also ensuring that the mistakes that you overlook as mistakes are also repeated."

"What mistakes?"

Rayne looked at Kinoc, "That Yevon is and must be eternal and that mistakes are really such a bad thing."

"Sacrilegious!" Kinoc shouted.

Rayne slammed her hands onto the railing, "Truly enlightened rule is achieved by mistakes and changes! What Yevon embodies is eternal continuity, when a truly workable and successful government allows change! It is only through change we learn. YOU ARE CRIPPLING SPIRA!!!!" She bore her eyes into Mika's, "It is only when mankind forgoes his ability to make changes that history repeats itself. That is what you are doing and that is what you preach, but it is wrong. Mankind can make the history stay history, and they can write their own future; if there is another way to beat Sin, and permanently, it can and will be found."

The other Yevonites in the room looked like they were on the edge of bursting, but Mika only shook his head and calmly said, "Young lady, you grasp at knowledge and concepts that are far beyond what Spira knows and what you understand. There is more to this that what you think." He looked her up and down and sighed, "You might have made a great orator for Yevon, but I can see that your mind is set. You shall face judgment like the rest of your company." He waved his hand dismissively and called out, "Take them to the dungeons."

Rayne heard the warrior monks file in behind her, but she kept her gaze on Mika, "I will not be silenced. You cannot defeat me so easily, nor can you easily defeat the rest of them." When the monks grabbed her arms and began to drag her out of the room, Rayne buried her heels into the ground and screamed as the door closed, "I WILL BE HEARD!!!!"



The door slammed shut on the still screaming woman and Mika shook his head, "Ah, these young people these days…"

Kinoc walked onto the maester's balcony and shook his head in disgust as Rayne's screams reverberated throughout the room. "Such a disgrace. And to think she's a guardian; it's an embarrassment to Yevon."

"True," Seymour said as he slid up to the two men, "But she is quite articulate and outspoken."

Mika nodded, "She could prove useful in our cause, but she is far too dedicated to her summoner."

Seymour shook his head and smiled eerily, "It is my understanding that she is rather… susceptible to the effects of the Farplane."

Kinoc was flabbergasted, "Surely she doesn't have Farplane Sickness?"

The half-Guado maester nodded, "She does."

Mika rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Perhaps the process could be easier than I thought…" He then noticed Kelk Ronso leaving the room. "Have him watched. I believe that some of the things he heard may have… disturbed him. In the meanwhile, I shall begin plans to… convert the young guardian." He walked out of the room, leaving Seymour to grin evilly as he left to follow the Ronso maester.



Rayne grunted as she was slammed into her cage. "You could be a bit more gentle, you know."

The guard rolled his eyes and walked off, "I'll try to remember to make an effort the next time."

Rayne flipped him the bird as he walked away, then sighed and looked around her cage. "So, I'm stuck in this little itty-bitty cage all by my lonesome… this really blows half-digested Sin chunks."

"Oh god! I did not need to hear that!" Rayne looked to her left and found Tidus making sick faces at her from between the bars of his own cage. "I mean come on! Can you imagine what he's been eating?!"

Rayne smiled and walked over to her bars, leaning against them, "Oh, I don't know, probably fiend like you."

"Don't remind me."

She turned her head to glare at Auron, who was leaning against the bars of his and Tidus's cage and frowning at her, "Oh really, Auron, it wasn't that bad."

"Okay!" Tidus clapped his hands, seeing that the topic could lead to an argument, "So anyway, Rayne; where did you learn all of that stuff you said in there, anyway? 'Cause it was pretty convincing."

Rayne shrugged and sat down, "High school World and National History classes. I was great at the concepts, but bad at remembering dates. Probably why I forgot to study for the final and flunked the whole timeline part…" She smiled, "I did pass the part about the forms of government and philosophies, though, along with a few other things…"

Tidus cocked his head, "They really taught you all of that?"

Rayne nodded, "We had to learn everything from all of the different points of view; the 'bad guys' side, the 'good guys' side, and the sides of everyone else. We also had to study a bit of Machiavelli."

Tidus blinked, "Machiawhooie?"

She shook her head and waved her hand, "Political theorist from the Renaissance."

Auron quirked a brow, "The Rennawha?"

Rayne groaned, "It was a big leap in sciences and arts, but forget it. It's a history lesson I don't care to give; too long, no matter how interesting it was."

There was a drawn out silence, which Tidus was about to break when a far off door opened and several pairs of footsteps echoed throughout the room. The three inmates turned towards the steps and watched the three guards as they approached. They stopped in front of Rayne's cage.

Kinoc walked in front of the monks and formally stated, "Lady Rayne, your presence has been requested by the maesters and other high-ranking monks. You are to appear in the Court of St. Helemine. Are you prepared?"

Rayne looked over at Auron, "Helemine?"

Auron frowned at Kinoc and turned to Rayne, "A past Bevellian nun remembered for her oration skills and philosophies. Whatever you do, do not ask or answer any personal questions; just the political and religious ones." As the door to her cage was opened and she was pulled out, Auron ran to the edge of his cage and continued to advise her in a hurried, panicked manner, "You're free to contradict or agree with Yevon however you want, but don't make actual name references! As long as you keep yourself to yourself, you have what's called Helemine's Philosophical Asylum! If you need help, ask to speak to Fereria!"

Kinoc chuckled as Auron shouted his advice at the ever departing Rayne, barely able to say the last part when she was through the door. The maester shook his head when Auron turned to glare at him. "Don't be mad at me, my friend. Lord Mika's the one who requested she go there. Well, until your sentencing…" Kinoc turned and walked away.

Tidus, who had been watching with a confused and worried look, turned to Auron, "What goes on in the Court of St. Helemine?"

Auron growled and punched the bars of the cage, "One of the most dangerous games of political and theological debate that there is, where the highest stake is the only stake; your mind and life."



Mika nodded, "First she shall see me, then she shall leave for the Court of St. Helemine; good, good, that should fit right into the plan. Now, as for the rest of them," He thought about it, "Send them to the Via Purifico."


	34. Bevelle III: The Court of St Helemine

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Bevelle III: The Court of St. Helemine)

The next few moments for Rayne were a whirlwind of anger, confusion, dozens of hallways, and dozens of Yevonites. The guards that took her from the dungeons passed her on to less armed warrior monks, and from them to a group of armed priests, and from them to a group of seemingly regular priests. She was led/pushed through hallways, passages, giant rooms, small rooms, across courtyards, through town squares, and passed small and great cathedrals, all the while not seeing a single familiar face among the thousands she must have passed.

Just when she thought she was about to go insane, a familiar voice called out to her, "Lady Guardian!"

The priests stopped and moved aside as Rayne's new favorite acolyte ran up to her, "Shelinda!"

The girl hugged Rayne briefly, then seemed to remember who she was hugging and backed away, face red and automatically trying to pretend it had never happened. "Wh-whatever are you doing here, lady guardian?"

Rayne looked at her 'guards', who seemed to have no clue that she was a traitorous prisoner, because they waited for her to answer as if they had had the same thought on their minds. Rayne looked at the acolyte and answered truthfully, "I am being taken to the Court of St. Helemine."

Shelinda and the priests gapped at her, the former asking, "Why are you going there?!"

Rayne blanched, "Is it bad?"

The young acolyte shook her head, "It… it is not terrible, but even among Yevon the Court does have a fairly… horrific reputation."

Rayne shut her eyes, 'This is not good… Mika is planning something.' "Shelinda, listen, can you do something for me?" When the acolyte nodded, Rayne grabbed her shoulders, "Go and find Fereria for me."

The acolyte and the priests gasped again, "Do you know her?" When Rayne shook her head, Shelinda glanced around and lowered her voice, "She is a notorious nun with a violent history. She works in the inquisition department."

Rayne shook her head, "Regardless of who she is I need to see her. If she won't see you, then tell her that a friend of Auron's needs help."

Shelinda and the priests gasped yet again, Shelinda remarking, "Sir Auron? You are throwing around quite a few powerful names."

Rolling her eyes, Rayne said, "If you need another influential name to convince her, tell her that it's Rayne that's calling for help. I'm pretty sure that my name still holds some weight here in Yevon, right?"

The priests gasped and Shelinda's jaw dropped, "You are the Lady Rayne?"

The guardian groaned, "Yes, yes, yes, but enough of that, Shelinda. I need your help, remember?!"

"O-of course!" Shelinda bowed lowly, "I shall not fail you, Lady Rayne." The young acolyte then ran passed Rayne and her guards and disappeared into the crowd.

After a few moments of silence from the still gapping priests, Rayne sighed, "Are you taking me to wherever you have to or not?"

Their jaws snapped shut and all four of them bowed simultaneously, "Yes, My Lady." Then they bunched around her and took off, leading her at a fast pace. A few moments later they came to a stop in front of a pair of large, ornately decorated red doors, where the priests bowed again. "We have arrived."

Rayne looked up at the doors, "This is the Court?"

"Er, no." One of the priests stood and explained, "You see, Lord Mika requested that you come and see him before we took you to the Court. He's… right through the doors."

As if on command, the doors swung open slightly. Rayne sighed, "I guess that's 'silent talk' for 'come in'." She walked forward, then paused. "Hey, I can… trust you guys, right?" The priests murmured their affirmatives. "Good. Then… if I come out of this changed or… not like the person you know me as now, can you take a message to Auron for me? Tell him… tell him I… I would have said yes. Had the pilgrimage been different, and had he asked me what he would have, I'd have said yes."

"We shall tell him, Lady Rayne."

Rayne nodded and smiled, "Thank you…" She then stepped through the door, which slammed shut once she was inside.

As soon as the door shut, Rayne was assailed by the familiar sleepy/nauseous feeling that she had hoped to never experience again when she left Guadosalam. She leaned against the doors heavily and tried to not breathe too deeply. "Congratulations, Seymour, you remembered my Farplane Sickness. And kudos to the rest of you for making this room have the effect, it was very clever. Tell me, do you all want medals or are gold stars alright with you?"

Several people laughed, followed by someone taking her by the arm and leading her to a chair. Once in her chair, she looked up and realized she was facing the ancient face of Mika. The old maester smiled, "Are you alright? You seem a bit… drained, shall we call it?"

Rayne was barely able to keep her eyes open as she rolled them, "Oh, hardy har. That was so terribly funny."

Seymour appeared by Mika and smiled at Rayne, "He is right, Lady Rayne. You do seem sleepy. Shall we—"

"Cut the crap. Waddya want?" As soon as she said that, the feeling seemed to redouble its efforts and Rayne slumped over in her seat. She was about to fall when Seymour appeared at her side and held her back in a sitting position.

Mika caught Rayne's eye and said, "Very well. If that is what you wish, we shall begin."

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Though her eyes weren't open, Rayne was faced transfixed towards Mika, who was whispering and humming at the same time. Beside her, Seymour was whispering into her ear, though she gave no reaction to hint that she heard either of them. The curtains in the room had been drawn and someone was holding a glowing red sphere on a string before Rayne, swinging it back and forth like a pendulum. If one were to look carefully at Rayne's face, they would see her eyes following the pendulum from beneath their lids.

A group of high priests and maesters stood in a circle around Rayne, Mika, Seymour, and the pendulum swinger, all of them humming a Bevellian chant and pyreflies swirling around them. They, too, were dead.

"Rayne." She opened her eyes and looked at Mika, a heavy glaze in her stare. Mika leaned forward and spoke, "Do you hear me?" The pendulum never stopped moving.

Rayne looked passed the pendulum, even passed Mika himself, seeming to be on another planet in her mind. Still, she nodded, her voice answering loud and clearly though she barely moved her lips. "I do."

Mika nodded, "Good." He then sat back. "Tell me, do you remember who you are?"

She was silent for a moment. "I am Rayne."

Seymour bent and said near her ear, "Before that. Back when you were more powerful, back when you held a high status. Back when you served one of two powerful empires."

Rayne didn't respond for a moment, then she shuddered violently and pitched to the side. Seymour flew to the other side of the chair and caught her before she hit the ground, holding her as her body was wracked with seizures. She stopped as abruptly as she began, her body going limp. Seymour set her back in the chair and stood behind her, holding her shoulders, her head rolling downwards.

"Rayne?" Her head lolled, then lifted slowly. Mika asked again, louder, "Rayne?" She looked directly at him and he said, "You will forget everything."

Pyreflies flew from the priests and the maesters in the room, circling and closing in on Rayne. Seymour stepped back as the pyreflies formed a tight circle around her and glowed brighter. Rayne's eyes dulled and her voice dropped to a monotone. "I will forget everything."

"You are a servant of Yevon."

"I am a servant of Yevon."

"You shall obey the orders of myself and Maester Seymour."

"I shall obey the orders of Lord Mika and Maester Seymour."

"You are not a guardian."

"I am not a guardian."

"You have no allegiance to the traitor summoner Yuna or any of her party."

Rayne paused for a brief second. "I have no allegiance to the traitor Yuna or her party."

Mika nodded, "You belong to Yevon."

"I belong to Yevon."

"Wake now, nun."

Rayne closed her eyes briefly, then snapped them open again, the glaze gone and something off about her. "Where shall I report to, Lord Mika, to begin my service to Yevon?"

Mika and Seymour exchanged glances, both of them smiling. The former looked back at Rayne and nodded to her, "You, Sister Rayne, are to report to the Court of St. Helemine, where you shall engage in the debate and present your arguments. Remember the rules and argue well. You are dismissed."

Rayne abruptly stood and turned, bowing to Seymour before striding to the door and departing from the room. Seymour looked at Mika and smiled, "Our battle has been won."

"Ah, yes." Mika nodded, "But, what shall come of it? Overall, how shall this affect the war?"



As the four priests escorted the Lady Rayne to the Court, they exchanged glances. She had gone in one person and come out another; someone indifferent and almost… mechanical. The priests remembered her hinting that she might have come out of the meeting with the priests and maesters changed, but what exactly had changed?

"Lady Rayne?"

"Sister Rayne." She corrected immediately.

The priests blinked and exchanged looks, the one who had spoken continuing, "Ur, alright then. Sister Rayne, what happened in there?"

Rayne stopped abruptly and turned on her heel, her face void of emotion but her tone biting, "I am not at liberty to divulge in what transpired between High Maester Mika and myself, as I strongly believe you are aware." She turned and continued to walk.

The priests stared at her with wide eyes, then ran to catch up with her. The priest who had begun talking looked pointedly at another who, taking the hint, continued the interrogation. "Sister Rayne, could you please remind me of something; are we taking you to the Court of St. Helemine?"

Rayne paused and glanced over her shoulder, "If you continue to ask questions that you are not authorized to know the answers to, I shall be forced to report you to the maesters. Now, let us continue."

They watched her as she walked off, then began to run once again to catch up to her.



Before the priests and Rayne stood a great ornate archway, set into it an equally great iron-wrought gate that served as a door. Through the black bars, they could see shadows of nuns walking about in the long, dark halls. The four priests shuddered as the gated doors swung inward, a cold chill washing over them.

A nun in dark green robes marked with symbols of Yevon in white walked out of the shadows, performing the prayer towards Rayne. "We have been expecting you, Sister. Come, so that we may inaugurate you into our Courts."

"Forgive me," Rayne replied, praying in like, "But I'm afraid you are mistaken. These Courts belong to the Great Sister Helemine, while we are but her lesser Sisters and followers."

The nun smiled and bowed again, her brown hair spilling over her shoulders to obscure her face. "Congratulations, you have passed the first test of the inauguration. Please, enter the Courts of our Greatest Sister, and walk among us as a practitioner and apprentice of the Greatest Sister's eloquence and philosophies."

Rayne turned and bowed to the priests, then turned again and walked through the great gated doors, which swung shut noiselessly after her.

The four priests stared at the gate-doors, stunned and disturbed. They exchanged glances, then turned and walked back into the main Temple, their minds set on the one goal the Guardian/Sister had asked of them should she suddenly change; tell Auron that she said 'Yes'. They also had another goal in mind; tell Auron of how she had gone into the room with navy blue eyes, and returned with eyes as cold as and the color of ice.



In a hazy ocean fog, Rayne walked from one place to another, she and her fellow Sister of Helemine walking in silence. It would not be proper to speak of trivial, purposeless things; there would be time for talk in the debate.

Her Sister first led her to the robing room, where she received her pure white novices robes lightly adorned with the symbols of Yevon in dark green. After that, she was shown to her small room, which consisted of only a cot, a chair, a desk, and several reams of paper accompanied by a fountain pen and several large containers of ink. She was then led to another room not far from hers, where her Sister stopped in front of the door and knocked.

"Sister, your trainee has arrived." That announced, her Sister left, leaving Rayne to wait for her mentor Sister to open the door or tell her to leave.

After several moments Rayne could make out the shuffling of papers and feet, followed by the rustle of a robe as it grazed against the hard wooden door. The handle turned and cracked open, a burgundy eye peering out. The eye considered Rayne for a moment, then the door opened even wider, presenting to Rayne the small room.

Rayne walked in and turned as her mentor Sister shut the door and faced her. Her mentor Sister had dark claret eyes and long, pale hair, accompanied by plaster skin and pale-red lips. Her mentor Sister preformed the prayer, "Welcome to the Court of St. Helemine, apprentice Sister."

Rayne prayed back, "Mentor Sister."

The woman nodded, then gestured towards the chair in front of her desk. Rayne sat in it and turned towards her mentor Sister, who sat on her bed and began to talk. "First let me tell you that you are allowed to tell me and me only your name, and that you shall still fall under Yevon's protection for though I know your name I am not allowed to use it in debate. It also works in vice versa. I am Sister Lucinda."

Rayne nodded, "I am Sister Rayne."

Lucinda nodded. She then stood and walked over to her desk, gathering a few papers that were covered in flowing calligraphy. "We shall soon depart for the arena. It will not be required of you to speak during your first debate, but be warned, for if you do speak it is best that you know well what you talk about." Lucinda then glanced at Rayne, "When we are not debating, we are planning our debates. We are given topics to prepare arguments for at the end of every session, and we must carefully take into consideration not only our own opinion, but the ideas that others might present. If you speak out against someone, keep in mind that they may have a counterargument ready for you, and if you loose it is a strike against you."

Rayne blinked, "How many strikes are we allowed and what are the consequences?"

Lucinda regarded Rayne with a blank look, answering carefully, "The magnitude of the strike depends upon how weak your debate is and how strong your opponent's counterargument is. As for the consequences…" Her Sister lowered her burgundy eyes and pretended to focus on rearranging her papers, "It is best that they are not discussed, even in debate." Her Sister then turned and walked to the door, "Come, it is time for us to leave."

As soon as they had walked out of the room, a light bell chimed and the other doors in the hallway opened and more nuns poured out, some of them joining with others and talking in low whispers. Rayne walked closer to her mentor and asked in a whisper, "Why are we not allowed to reveal our names?"

"Because it is best not to give our fellow Sisters a name to attach to your face." Lucinda nodded to the other nuns around them. "All of them will debate their points ruthlessly, and present counterarguments against your points with the same vivacity. If you give them a name, then it is easier for them to make potent counterarguments against you, and they will tend to attack you more when you present your debate." Lucinda paused, then admitted haltingly, "It's not that… we aren't allowed to reveal our names, it's just… highly recommended that you don't. None who do last long afterwards."

The hallway ended and the nuns walked among great pillars, darkness stretching when they continued on out of sight and the great ceiling above them a swath of black. After some time of walking, they began to close in on what appeared to be a bright patch in the grey expanse. When they had finally arrived at it, Rayne saw it was the arena.

The arena, like the rest of the Court, was made of grey stone. It dipped down into the ground for nineteen rows, with a fifty foot semicircle stage at the bottom. At the edge of the straight line of the semicircle rose a wall, which flattened out at ten feet high and ran back for a few feet. Behind this desk-like structure were five seats, all of them occupied by aging women.

Lucinda noticed Rayne staring at the old women and whispered, "The Great Sisters; they are the five oldest and greatest debaters. They act as council over all proceedings and act to settle arguments when the debate is equally split among the nuns."

They walked into the arena, Lucinda taking a spot in the fifth row from the bottom and Rayne joining her. Hundreds of nuns took seats inside of the arena, only the low hum of whispers breaking the silence. After a few moments, the buzz died away of its own accord, and the debate began.



"What you are speaking of," Rayne said as she stood and faced the Sister who was presenting her point, "Is called ethnic cleansing, and it quite often leads to war and bloodshed."

The nun, caught off guard by opposition of a nun she had never seen before, looked at Rayne and asked, "'Ethnic cleansing'?"

Rayne could have smiled. In catching the Sister off guard, she had claimed the upper hand, and now that the Sister was asking a question, it revealed to Rayne that she knew more about what the debate was about than the nun did. This gave Rayne another advantage. It also trapped the nun who had spoken.

Instead of smiling, though, Rayne merely nodded. "Ethnic cleansing," She began, "Is the systematic elimination of a particular ethnic group from a region or society, either by forced expulsion or genocide. Because Yevon has already expulsed the Al Bhed, the only option left is genocide, which is a shameful act and a crime against humanity. It ranks up with mass murder, although genocide can be noticeably crueler. Tell me, would you really have our warriors and priests perform such a barbarous crime in the name of Yevon?"

The nun huffed, seeing that she had been cut down and cornered. "Well," She asked in a screechy voice, "What would you recommend?"

Feeling attention back on her, Rayne pursed her lips and laced her fingers. "I would suggest making amends and peace with the Al Bhed. Neither side would necessarily have to conform with the other, but removing hostilities could be beneficial to both sides. It would also prevent the possibility of future bloodshed, which is the last thing Spira needs with the recent reappearance of Sin."

Another nun rose, "Making peace with the Al Bhed would be sacrilegious to Yevon!"

Rayne shook her head, "A common and foolish misconception, brought about by the misinterpretation of the Holy Texts. Yevon says that machina are bad, not so much the users. Yevon says that we cannot use machina. But, as I already said, making peace with the Al Bhed would not mean conformation of any kind; it would simply be a recognized armistice, a simple lying down of arms and promise to aid each other should it ever be needed."

"The Al Bhed have nothing to offer us!"

Rayne sighed, "Yet another misconception. Not everything that the Al Bhed produce is machina, nor is everything they produce made by machina. Their Potions, for example, are far more versatile than ours. While ours only replaces a certain amount of health, the Al Bhed Potion heals twice the amount on whole parties, as well as removes several status abnormalities. Also, they have several abilities that we could not otherwise access on our Sphere Grids without the help of an Al Bhed."

Silence spread across the floor. After a few moments, another nun stood and said, "I find that I agree with our Sister." She nodded to Rayne, who nodded back and ceded the floor, and listened as the new nun continued talking.

The debate ended several hours later and Lucinda accompanied Rayne back to her room. "You did well, considering it is your first day."

Rayne sighed, "Is it always that long?"

Lucinda shook her head, "That was actually one of the shorter ones. Most debates typically last for many more hours, a few even days. The most intense ones, though, can last for weeks."

Upon arriving back at Rayne's room, Lucinda bowed, "I shall come for you later for dinner."

Rayne shook her head, "Don't bother, I'm not that hungry."

"Breakfast, then?"

Rayne nodded and walked into her room, shutting the door and throwing herself on her bed. 'All of this… feels standard. Too standard… why does it feel wrong? … What's wrong with me?'

She felt a memory right on the back of her mind, tugging at her and begging her to remember. But she couldn't. She sighed and rolled onto her stomach, falling asleep in a state of confusion.


	35. Escape From Bevelle: Power of Will

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Escape From Bevelle: Power of Will)

After several days in the Court, Rayne was beginning to settle and push aside the feeling that there was something out of place. She focused more on her debates, sometimes speaking and others listening. She soon found that she had generated a group of haters who devoted their time to trying to psyche her out of a debate, and she had to give them credit; one time they had nearly gotten her to blink.

Rayne also found that she had generated a group of sympathizers who agreed on several of her points but had their scruples on others. Ah, well, in debate it was to be expected. There were times when Rayne forgot that there was a world outside of the Court of St. Helemine, and she was reminded of it when one day she received a visitor from it.

She was sitting at her desk, outlining her upcoming argument when there was a knock at her door. "There is a Sister from the outside to see you, Sister. She says that it is urgent." The nun then walked away.

Rayne sighed and stacked her papers, standing and smoothing her new green robes with their white symbols. 'I wonder if other nuns have ever been promoted as fast as I have?' She pushed the thought away and walked out the door, heading in the direction of the wrought iron door. As she approached, she saw the figure of a tall nun leaned against the door.

As she approached, the door swung open for Rayne and the tall nun stood waiting. "May I help you?" Rayne could now see the nun clearly.

She had straight dirt-colored hair and unremarkable brown eyes, but she held herself in a self-important way that gave her an intimidating air. The nun narrowed her brown eyes, "Rayne?"

Rayne blinked, "Please refrain from using my name in this Court."

The nun scoffed, "That's a Helemine for ya." She bowed oddly, from the waist up rather than the typical Yevon prayer, "I'm Fereria, and I was told that you needed my help."

Rayne cocked her head, then shook it, "No, I'm afraid you must have the wrong person. I am perfectly fine, so if you would excuse me…" She turned to walk away, but was stopped when a hand grabbed her shoulder. Rayne turned back, "Sister Fereria, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask you to—"

Fereria shook her head, "Five days ago, I got word that some guardian named Rayne needed my help. I would have refused had I not heard that it was by Auron's recommendation that I was asked for, and it made my resolve even firmer when I learned that the guardian Rayne was not only a friend of Auron's, but also sentenced to serve in the Court of St. Helemine. I'm here for Rayne, and if that's your name, you're coming with me." Not waiting another moment, Fereria turned and started walking, dragging Rayne behind her.

Struggling helplessly against the larger nuns grip, Rayne began to beg, "Please release me. I really have to get back to my debate; they need me."

The tall nun laughed snappily, "They can do without one of their many robots for a few hours."

They walked on for a bit in silence, Rayne eventually giving up her struggle and following Fereria compliantly. "If you don't mind my asking, who is this 'Auron' and how do you know him?"

Fereria replied without hesitation, "An old ex-warrior monk friend of mine. We were both assigned to duties in one of the many Sin attacks many years ago, where he saved me and I saved him in like. I was a healer then." They both fell silent again, not saying anything until the taller nun stopped at a door. She took out a key and inserted it into the lock, "My office."

Inside, Fereria immediately directed Rayne to a plush red chair and sat her in it, taking her place in another similar chair across from her. "Alright," Fereria began, "There is a bit I have to know before I can tell you anything. First, how long were you in the Courts?"

Rayne blinked, "Only the five days."

The taller nun nodded, "What did you do before that?"

"I was…" Rayne's mind blanked. What had she done? She couldn't remember.

Fereria seemed to be expecting this because she pushed on, unfazed by the lack of an answer, "Who assigned you to work in the Courts?"

This one Rayne could answer. "Grand Maester Mika."

Fereria nodded, "And who do you serve?"

"Grand Maester Mika and Lord Maester Seymour."

"Who was your mentor in the Courts?"

"Sister Lucinda."

"Were you ever Yuna's guardian?"

"Yes." Fereria raised her brows and Rayne balked. Where had that come from? "I… I mean no. I… never served as Yuna's guardian. I've never been a guardian, period. …Isn't Yuna the traitor summoner?"

Fereria nodded, "They, being Yuna and her guardians, have been sentenced to the Via Purifico. They've been down there for the past four days."

Rayne shook her head, "May Yevon have mercy on their souls."

Fereria sighed irritably, "Alright, listen and listen good; you've been brainwashed. I don't know by whom or why, but you've been led to think you're a Yevonite, which you're not. You've been led to think you're part of the Court of St. Helemine, which you're not. You've been led to believe that you've always served and believed in Yevon and that you serve Mika and Seymour, which you haven't and don't. You've also been led to believe that you're not a guardian, which you are and you're guardian to Lady Yuna."

Rayne stared at Fereria blankly, "Wha—"

The door suddenly burst open and a warrior monk ran in. "Sister Rayne, Lord Seymour requires you at the front gate immediately!"

Rayne nodded and ran to the door, pausing to glance back at Fereria, "I don't believe you. I have only ever served Yevon, Maester Seymour and Grand Maester Mika." She then ran out the door.

Fereria stared at the door for a few moments, taking in what Rayne had said. She then leaned back in her chair and smacked her forehead, "This is going to be harder than I thought."



As Rayne ran to the main gate, she thought about what the woman, Fereria, had said. Apparently, she had attempted to help Rayne because of a man named 'Auron'.

'Auron…'

The name tugged at the back of her mind, trying to submerge her in memories that it thought were there and Rayne was sure weren't. She had only ever served Yevon, that was all. She had never served as a guardian, she had never left Bevelle to go on a pilgrimage, she had never met the traitor Yuna, and she had most certainly never met an ex-warrior monk by the name of Auron.

As she thought this, though, she felt another tug in the back of her mind, the same tug that had tried to pull her into memories that didn't exist. When she felt the tug again, she forcefully brushed it aside and pushed herself to go faster, desperate for whatever distracting task Maester Seymour had to give her.

When she turned down the final stretch of her run, she immediately slammed into another body running in the opposite direction. She and the other person fell to the floor, moaning painfully. Rayne sat up, wincing, and looked at the person who was laying a short ways away, also pulling itself onto its butt. The person was a young woman garbed in the robes of an acolyte, her hair obscured by her cap but her brown eyes visible and wide.

"Lady Rayne?"

Rayne stood and held out her hand towards the young acolyte, "I am Rayne, yes, but I am no 'Lady'. Sister Rayne will do fine. Sister Rayne of the Court of St. Helemine. Who are you, young acolyte?"

The girl stood and looked at Rayne in confusion, "I am Shelinda, Sister."

"Sister Shelinda." Rayne nodded, "Might I ask why you were running?"

Shelinda stared at Rayne for another moment, then snapped out of it, "Oh, yes! I was sent on Maester Kinoc's orders to deliver this to you." She held out a long item wrapped in brown cloth, presenting with both hands like she would a sword.

Rayne took the item from her and unwrapped it, looking over the staff inside with a confused look. "What is this for?"

"I-it is yours." Shelinda replied hesitantly.

Rayne blinked, then shook her head as a memory of herself using the very staff in her hands surfaced in her mind. "Ah… yes, I see. My thanks, Sister Shelinda. Now I must go." She bowed and continued to run.

She heard the sounds of battle before she arrived and slung her staff onto her back, using knowledge she wasn't aware she had to strap the sheath to across her chest. She burst through the main doors and was met with the sight of her master, Maester Seymour, engaged in battle with the traitors, summoner Yuna's group.

Maester Seymour, who had undergone some change and appeared to be cast in stone, turned in her direction and smiled, the rock around his lips cracking slightly. "Ah, I see that my newest recruit has arrived." He reached out to her and beckoned. "Come, my loyal follower."

Rayne walked up beside her Maester, standing tall and proud at being acknowledged by her leader.

The group he was fighting against gasped, the young woman Rayne assumed to be Yuna lowering her stave and taking a step forward. "Rayne?"

"My lord," Rayne began in a curious tone, staring at the young summoner, "Why are they not in the Via Purifico? It was my understanding that they were sentenced to their deaths in there."

Seymour chuckled, "There were a few… unforeseen issues. No matter, though, they shall be finished here. Would you like to help, my Black Mage?"

Rayne turned towards Maester Seymour and bowed, "It would be the highest honor, my lord." She could hear several more gasps from the group and glanced at them, taking notice of the looks of horror on their faces. She felt the tug in her mind, but ignored it and took her stance. "Shall we?"

Beside her, Seymour smiled, "We shall." He raised his hand and commanded, "Go, Mortibody." An odd, spiky remora-like creature detached itself from Seymour's side and leapt at the group, zigzagging though the air a bit before attacking the man beside the summoner Yuna, the man in red.

Rayne felt an odd pang when the creature struck the man, but shook it off and attacked the man herself, only to be blocked by his great sword. "Rayne…" She heard him whisper. Rayne frowned and jumped back, slashing her staff in a horizontal motion and shouting, "Firaga!"

The attack hit the man head-on, acting to snap the others out of their stupors and making them attack. "Hey!" Rayne turned to see a young boy in yellow jump at her, his long sword raised and a scream tearing from his mouth. "AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He struck down hard, barely giving Rayne any time to raise her staff and counter the assault. While she struggled to hold him back, the boy leaned forward and screamed in her face, "SNAP OUT OF IT, RAYNE!"

Rayne frowned, "Break!"

The boy jumped back and looked down, watching with horror as the ground shifted to swallow him, trapping him in a thick coat of granite as a statue. Rayne, now using the shock that had enveloped the group to her advantage, jumped at yet another man, this on with orange hair, and trapped him in another statue.

She lifted her staff and was about to shatter the statue of the man when the summoner Yuna jumped before her, the girls arms spread. "Please Rayne, stop!"

Rayne scowled, "No penance for the sacrilegious." She then swung the bladed side of her staff at the young summoner's temple. Just before the edge connected with Yuna's skull and ended her life, Rayne felt another tug in her mind and a pang in her body. Rayne's hand stopped the staff and she stared at the young summoner in confusion, mumbling, "Yuna?"

Yuna smiled and reached for her, "Ray—"

"Kill her!" Rayne's eyes narrowed and she immediately moved again to obey Seymour's command, her staff flying.

A body collided with Yuna's and she was knocked out of the way, Rayne's staff slicing though the air where Yuna's neck had been. A woman in black turned away from Yuna and glared at Rayne with blood red eyes, "Fira!!!"

Rayne braced herself for the attack but never felt the burn. At that moment, Mortibody swooped in front of her and absorbed the attack, presumably using it to heal himself and his master. Rayne grinned at the younger Black Mage. "Pain."

Lulu's eyes widened and she collapsed, trying to clutch various places all over her body at once and screaming in agony.

Rikku gasped, "Lulu!" She then looked at Rayne. "As much as I love you, big sister, I can't let you do this!" The young Al Bhed girl took out a grenade and ran at Rayne, who coolly snapped her fingers and whacked Rikku in the head with a huge block of ice. Rikku crumpled to the ground.

The blue Ronso roared and leapt at Rayne, any reserves he had against attacking her abandoned. From behind Rayne, Seymour waved his hand and shouted, "Multi-Thundaga."

The Ronso was stopped standing on one foot as the bolts of lightning struck him, then collapsed onto his knee when they ended. The man in red and Yuna looked at their companions, stunned and upset. Yuna looked at Rayne with wide, pleading eyes, "Rayne, please wake up!"

Rayne frowned, "I am awake."

Yuna's face was one of torment for a moment, then she swung her stave over her head and began to summon. After a moment, the great bird Valefor fell from the sky and stopped before Yuna. The summoner stroked the aeon's head, "Valefor, something is wrong with Rayne. Please, help us, but don't kill her."

Valefor nodded and rose back into the air, turning to face Rayne and Seymour. Rayne was about to attack the great bird when Seymour shouted, "Death awaits you!" A red flash flew passed Rayne's head and struck Valefor's chest, causing the bird to fall to the ground and dissolve into pyreflies.

Yuna cried out and Seymour laughed, "Don't even bother with aeons, little summoner. They are useless against me! And as for your last guardian…" He sent a spell in the direction of the man in red, at which the guardian fell to the ground, unconscious. Seymour smiled, "Now, my protégé," Rayne looked at Seymour, who nodded to her, "Kill Yuna."

Rayne turned to Yuna, who fell to her knees and murmured a soft 'No' under her breath. The Black Mage began to slowly walk towards the summoner, raising her staff over her head and flipping the bladed side out. Yuna made no move to escape, simply staring at Rayne with wide eyes and mumbling 'No' over and over again.

When she stood right over the summoner, Rayne looked her in the eye, "May Yevon have mercy on you, misguided child." And she swung her staff down.

The weapon seemed to move in slow motion, its destination marked by the shadow right between Yuna's eyes. Just centimeters before it cleaved the summoners flesh, the tug in Rayne's mind returned stronger than ever and a single memory flooded back. The smiling little girl she had helped raise; one blue eye and one green. Yuna…

"NO!"

Yuna and Seymour stared at Rayne, who looked down at Yuna with wide, frightened eyes. "Yuna? Baby?" She looked around herself, eyes flashing between her friends. "I… no, I…"

"What are you waiting for?! Kill her!!!"

Rayne shook her head and looked at Yuna, reluctance and defiance in her eyes. But her body moved of its own accord, raising the staff above her head. "No… Yuna…"

The staff came down again, but didn't even make it halfway before it was stopped by a red clothed arm. Rayne looked up into the brown eye of Auron, whom she now recognized. "Auron…"

He nodded, ignoring the bladed staff that had sliced through his coat and was buried in his flesh. "Rayne, come back. Come back to us. Fight it."

"I… I can't…" Rayne's body yanked her staff out of Auron's arm and she winced with him. Unable to control herself, she could only watch in horror as she raised her staff again. "Auron, take Yuna and run! G-get the others and run with them, too! Run and don't come back! Kill me, if you must, but get out of here!"

Auron scowled, "We're not leaving without you, and you won't be coming until you can regain complete control of yourself; now fight!"

She felt her body swing the staff down and she worked with all of her strength to stop it, partially succeeding when she changed the trajectory from landing on his head to landing on his shoulder. Auron winced again, but stood firm. Rayne trembled as her body lifted the staff again, "Auron… Auron please…"

The red guardian shook his head, ignoring the blood that was flowing freely from his wounds, "You can end this by stopping yourself, Rayne. Until then, I won't move."

"Not if I can help it!" Seymour lunged at the two, eyes and grin wide.

Auron growled and pointed at the dead half-Guado with his good hand. "You don't want to move." At that, Seymour froze and stayed in place. "You see, Rayne," Auron said, nodding at Seymour, "You can even control others if your will is strong enough. And, after knowing you and seeing you change over the past ten years, I know that you have a strong will. Now, regain control."

"You will kill him!" Seymour called to her, his body still frozen. "Cut through him to get to the summoner!"

Rayne stared at Auron, then shut her eyes tightly when her body brought the staff back down on Auron, striking his other shoulder. She winced as the staff was yanked out of his flesh and raised back above her head. 'He's right… I have to do something!"

'But there is nothing. You will kill at least him!' Seymour's voice screamed in her head. She felt the staff fall again, knowing that this time it would be a killing blow to his head.

Rayne looked up at the staff with wide eyes. She then looked Auron in the eye and screamed, "STOOOOOOOOOOOPP!!!!" A pulse went through her. Her arms felt heavy to her, so she knew that she could control them again. Her knees buckled and she fell forward, Auron catching her in his arms.

"NO!" Seymour cried as he was released from the 'Threaten'. He fell on his stomach, but quickly recovered and jumped to his feet, summoning Mortibody to himself and preparing for a massive magic attack, the magical energy gathering above him in an angry crimson and black ball.

Rayne saw this and dove out of Auron's arms, grabbing her staff and raising it high into the air. She focused her power on it and willed herself to use her high-level magic. "REFLECT!!!!"

The air sparkled and, just as Seymour released his attack, a faint blue light poured out of Rayne's staff, creating a huge wall before herself and the group. After the magic ball had exploded against her shield, Rayne then spun to face Auron, "It won't hold long! Help me revive them!"

He nodded and began to dig out Phoenix Downs and Hi-Potions while Rayne began to cast 'Life' on those closest to herself. Her magic quickly ran out, leaving her drained, but she pushed herself on and helped distribute the healing items to the others.

Wakka, Lulu, and Tidus all jumped to their feet, brandishing their weapons against Rayne, who groaned and waved at Seymour. "Bigger things to worry about!" Seymour was trying to pierce the 'Reflect' with his long nails, deep furrows and cracks already forming and spreading.

The group quickly began to reform, Rayne shouting, "Distract him for as long as you can! Yuna, prepare yourself for a Grand Summon!" Plan decided, they jumped at him, meeting him just as he shattered the shield.

Rayne fended off a blow from Mortibody, a painful pulse going through her body and her vision flashing red. 'Looks like I'm long overdue for an overdrive.' "Get Back!"

The sapphire at the tip of her stone flashed, turning into a bloodstone. Rayne eyed the rock appreciatively, "Ah, so we're moving from precious gemstones to cool rocks, eh? Well, I got no complaints." She then raised the staff over her head and slammed it into the ground, the butt of it digging into the stone walkway.

The bloodstone at the tip glowed crimson, a ball of fire bursting out of it and hovering a few inches above the stone. Glaring at Seymour, Rayne grabbed the ball of fire and began to mold it in her hands, stretching it out into the shape of a sword. She then lifted the flaming sword and slashed it out horizontally, putting out the fire and revealing a bastard sword with a blood red blade.

She waved the sword over her head, "Come hither, my loyal servant." Her staff flashed again, an anthropomorphic flame appearing. It walked up behind her and took the sword from her hands. Rayne raised her hand and pointed at Seymour. "Bonfire Blade!"

The humanoid flame leapt at the dead maester, driving its blade into his chest and slashing him with all its might. As soon as its sword left Seymour's flesh, the flame disappeared, taking the sword with it.

When she turned back to grab her staff, Rayne saw Yuna flash red. "Yuna! Overdrive summon Bahamut!"

Yuna nodded and waited for everyone to fall back before she summoned, calling forth the great dragon when her path was clear. "Mega Flare!"

Bahamut released his overdrive, completely obliterating Mortibody and brutally damaging Seymour. When the dust settled, Seymour was gone. Not waiting for more to appear, the group turned and ran.


	36. Breaking Point

The song featured in this chapter does not belong to me. 'Sound the Bugle' belongs to Bryan Adams, or whoever he sold the rights to.

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Breaking Point)

When they had escaped from Bevelle, the group made camp in a small, hidden clearing in Macalania. Though Rayne could feel everyone regarding her suspiciously, she just walked over to an elevated patch of moss and slumped down onto it, falling asleep almost instantly. Her sleep was littered with fleeting dreams and running nightmares, but she was far too drained to remember any. She woke several times while she slept, greeted only by the ghastly effects of sleep paralysis, after which she drifted back into sleep.

After much sleep, her eyes just opened and she sat up, looking at everyone around the clearing. They were all silent and staring off into space, lost in their own thoughts. She noticed that two people in particular were gone…

Rayne stood and walked to the entrance of the clearing, taking a seat beside Auron, "Where are they?"

Auron glanced at her, then shrugged, "Off comforting each other."

Rayne frowned, then sighed, "Not exactly the answer I was hoping for…"

"The lake."

She stood, "Thank you." She walked out of the clearing and down the path that led to the lake, slipping into the trees. She saw the two teens together at last and smiled. 'At least they're happy…'

"Spying, are we?"

Rayne looked up at Auron, who was standing beside her and looking at her with a raised brow. She sighed and looked back at the teens. "Just… thinking."

"About?"

She leaned back against the tree behind her. "Auron, that was the second time I failed her. I actually… tried to kill her that time, and I would have if you hadn't stopped me. I…" She sighed and crossed her arms, "I don't think I'm made for this pilgrimage, or any other. I'm not strong enough for it. I should quit and go back to Besaid."

She heard him growl and was shocked when he grabbed her collar and swept her off of her feet, slamming her into a tree. He pinned her with a glare, "That's a load of shit and you know it. You deserve to be on this pilgrimage just as much as the rest of us, and I'll be damned if you quit now just to flee back to that backwater island with your tail between your legs."

"Then be damned!" She yelled, "I honestly don't care, Auron! I won't be talked out of this; I won't risk hurting Yuna again!"

He growled and shook her, "Yuna would be more hurt if you left than if you killed her. Don't you get that?! You're one of the driving forces behind her on this pilgrimage!!!"

"What do you people want from me?!" Auron blinked and stared at her, shocked. Rayne shook her head and clenched her hands tightly, "What do you all want?! I'm not a good guardian, I can't stand Yevon, I'm doomed to live in obscurity for my odd ways, I can hardly control my magic, I've nearly killed you all so many times, I'm not strong enough to last a pilgrimage… What in the hell do you want?!?!"

Auron set her on her feet and put his hands on her shoulders, his eye softening, "We want you, nothing more and nothing less. We don't want the perfect guardian, we don't want the perfect Yevonite/Spiran citizen, we don't want someone with a will of steel, who can lead their loved one to their death without batting an eyelash, we just want you here, with us."

Rayne closed her eyes and lowered her head, "Just 'me' might not be good enough."

There was silence. One of Auron's hands left her shoulder and lifted her chin. She opened her eyes, about to say something when he cut her off. He kissed her. She froze, eyes wide and body rigid, mind drawing a blank. After a moment, he pulled away, refusing to meet her eye. He whispered in her ear, "You are never not good enough."

He then turned to walk away, but was stopped when she grabbed his shoulder and turned him back to her, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. This time it was Auron who stood in shock. He then relaxed and closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around her lower back and pulling her closer. Deeper.

After a few moments they broke apart, both of them leaning against each other but neither of them saying a word. They stood in silence, which was broken by the rustle of leaves and faint footsteps. They both looked towards the lake. Yuna and Tidus were walking down the path and back towards the camp. Rayne pulled away from Auron.

"Let's go. We should go back before they get there."

"Rayne." He grabbed her arm but she didn't turn to face him. "Can we agree that it's pointless to think of what might have been? To think of the life we could have had, had the pilgrimage not gone as far as it had?"

Still not looking at him, Rayne answered in an expressionless tone, "Auron, there's never a day that I don't regret not following you to the boat, but I never think about what we might have had." She turned and smiled to him. "Because I was lucky enough to have seen you again. That was enough for me. Whatever happens when all of this is over; whether you and I live, or if I end up going back to my world, I can die happy knowing that I got to spend at least as much time with you as I did. Now," She looked at the path, "It looks like they stopped to make out again. Shall we go?"

Auron stared at her, then smiled and nodded, walking up beside her. Together, they both walked back to the camp, side by side.

No one noticed them slip back in, so they silently joined the others in waiting for Yuna and Tidus to return. Kimahri arrived a short time later, soon followed by the two teens, walking hand in hand.

Yuna nodded to Tidus, who let go and watched her walk up to Auron. She bowed to her guardian, "Sir Auron, I would like to continue my pilgrimage."

Auron nodded. "Then I shall continue to guard you."

Yuna nodded to him, then turned to Rayne, who looked over Yuna's shoulder and shuffled her feet anxiously. Yuna frowned, "Rayne…"

"I'm sorry!" Rayne clenched her hands and bowed. "Everyone… I'm sorry. I gave in to their power, and I nearly killed all of you. I… I would completely understand if you wished for me to… leave the party."

There was a tense silence, which Tidus broke thorough with a serious tone. "What do you say, guys? She did try to behead Yuna, after all…"

"And she 'Petrified' me and Tidus…" Wakka added.

"And used a 'Pain' spell on me…" Lulu added.

"And smacked me in the noggin with a huge chunk of ice…" Rikku added.

"And try to hack off my head and arm with her staff…" Auron added.

With each added accusation, Rayne bowed deeper and deeper, clenching her hands and gritting her teeth. She was starting to remember it all… and it wasn't pretty.

"But…" Rikku drawled after another tense moment. "I guess I can forgive her!" Rayne looked up at Rikku in shock, the girl putting on a cheeky grin and giggling.

"Yeah, me too!" "Of course." "Don't forget me!" "As if we could hold it against her." "Lady Rayne's done much worse than that!" "Hm, Kimahri doubt even he could hold out against the maesters magic."

Rayne looked around the group, her vision becoming blurry. "Everyone…" She covered her face with her hands, "You're all too much!"

Two pairs of small arms wrapped around her and she lowered her hands, looking into the happy and tearful faces of Yuna and Rikku. "E muja oui, Rayne."

Yuna smiled, "We all do."

Rayne hugged both of them, faintly hearing Tidus mumble. "Some of us more than others, and in a different way." She looked at him and found him glancing at Auron.

"Aw, Tidus!" She wheedled out of the girls' arms and pulled the boy into a hug, petting his head dramatically. "I'm too old for you, sweetie!"

"Oh, Yevon!" Tidus jumped back and straightened his hair, looking at Rayne with a twitching eye. "I didn't mean me! I meant…" He found both guardians in his insinuation looking at him dangerously; Auron glaring and Rayne smiling widely.

"'You meant'…" Rayne coaxed, her tone dangerously cheery.

Tidus shook his head, "Who? Wha? Who're we talkin' about?"

Rayne smiled even wider (which up until that point had been considered a physical impossibility) and patted Tidus's head. "Thasa good boy!"

Tidus only scowled and batted her hands away. The teen then raised his arms over his head and yawned. "Well, I'm tired!"

The rest of the group agreed. They all separated to their respected sleeping locations and lay down, most of them falling asleep soon after. A bit restless, Rayne turned over and looked at Auron, who was lying behind her. He looked at her and smirked, to which she smiled back and closed her eyes, knowing that it might be the last fairly peaceful sleep the group would have for awhile.

'Soon we arrive… Too soon, we'll be at Zanarkand…'



The group woke a bit late the next morning, groaning as the sun hit their faces. Day had come too soon.

The moaning and groaning, though, quickly turned to laughter. Rayne frowned, not getting the joke. 'So… it has something to do with me, does it?'

"Hey, Rayne," Tidus called, "Did you and Auron have a nice night?"

Rayne and Auron both sat up at this, looking at each other and letting out various cries when they met nose-to-nose. Somehow, during the course of the night, they had huddled together and had laid side-by-side. Tidus began to laugh again and Rayne jumped to her feet, a spike of ice forming in her hand and the air around her crackling. "Go ahead, rooster, keep on laughing!"

Coughing lightly, Auron drew the group's attention to himself. "If we're going to leave, it should be soon. Bevelle will soon have monks scouring this area, and we don't want to be here when they get here."

Rayne sighed and dropped the spike, calming herself down. "Right. So, if our official tour guide, Lulu, would enlighten us…"

Lulu rolled her eyes and smiled, "Follow me, then." She led them out of the clearing and down the path, which ran through two dirt embankments. After going up a short hill, they walked into the sun and were temporarily blinded. "Welcome to the Calm Lands."

When Rayne's vision cleared, she was struck silent by the view of the Calm Lands. A seemingly endless field of grass, rolling slightly and stretching, dotted with bits of old machina and spires of stone and dirt. The grass below, slightly taller than mowed grass, swayed and rustled in the breeze. For a moment, Rayne thought she was home.

"Many summoners have traveled this far, only to loose their way." Auron's voice cut through her fantasy, waking her to her current reality. "Many pilgrimages end here, as well."

Yuna sighed and fell beck onto the grass. "I… have always known where to go."

Rayne sighed, zoning out as Tidus began to say something. She walked further out, stopping when the ground before her ended. She looked down, seeing the cliff and the shaded grass. She looked back up, gazing at the miles of grasslands with dazed eyes. 'It's so much like home…'

"Rayne?"

She shook her head and looked at Yuna, smiling. "Ne?"

Yuna blinked and tilted her head. "Are you alright?"

Rayne nodded. "Just fine. It's just the Calm Lands." She turned back to them and spread her arms. "They… remind me so much of home."

Tidus walked up beside her. "This is what your home is like?"

"Yeah." Rayne replied reminiscently. "Just miles and miles of grasslands, not a single building or tree to interrupt it. So easy to get lost, but so easy to see forever, vision uninterrupted." She lowered her arms and shook her head, then turned back to the group and smiled. "Well, my guess is we have to cross this, right? So let's get moving!"

They walked down the incline, the plains far below them gradually getting larger and larger as they approached them. At the bottom, the plains seemed to be twice as large as they had seemed at the top of the hill. Rayne closed her eyes and breathed in deeply through her nose and out through her mouth. "How long will it take for us to cross, Lu?"

"Depends." It wasn't Lulu who answered; it was Auron.

Rayne opened her eyes and looked around, finding that she and Auron were the only ones there. "Where are the others? We didn't loose them already, did we?"

Auron chuckled and shook his head, pointing behind him. "They're back up there talking to a long-winded historian."

Rayne looked back up and saw the rest of the group practically being bored to death by the old scholar, Meachen. She laughed and crossed her arms, "Poor saps."

When the rest of the group managed to escape the scholar a… not-so-short time later, they walked over to Rayne and Auron, Tidus twitching. "I didn't even learn that much when I was in school…"

Rayne shook her head and laughed, "Come on, it couldn't have been that bad! Some of the best story tellers are old men."

Yuna shook her head, "What he tells aren't stories… but rather excerpts from the most droning history books of Spira that were ever written."

Chuckling, Auron shook his head and faced the Calm Lands, immediately sobering. "Well, let us begin."

The group walked… and walked… and walked… and walked… and, for a change of pace, they walked some more. The battles they encountered were few, but extremely difficult, and they left the group low on health and spirits. The sun shone on them, but it wasn't hot. The wind blew, but it wasn't cool. Bugs flew lazily around them, but they didn't annoy them. Things just… were.

"THIS IS THE MOST MONOTONOUS PLACE I HAVE EVER BEEN TO!" Tidus screamed, unable to take the pressure.

"Yeah." Rayne sighed reminiscently, "Isn't it great?"

The group looked at her with varying stares of shock, awe, and irritation, Lulu asking, "How can you actually like this?"

Rayne rolled her eyes, "You gotta remember, Lu, I spent some of my life in lands like this. I've adapted and found the positive points, so it's hard for places like this to bore me."

"Well, they bore me!" Tidus huffed, "And probably the rest of us, too."

"Then how about duels?"

Tidus blinked, "Huh?"

Rayne looked at him and nodded, "Whenever you all get too bored, attack someone. Don't bother to warn them, treat them like they are the fiend… or vice versa, which ever works. It'll keep us on our toes and occupied, and the Calm Lands will pass even faster."

Yuna raised her hand to her chin and thought about it, "Duels…"

Wakka crossed his arms and frowned, "I dunno… sounds kinda dangerous."

Lulu shrugged, "Couldn't be any more dangerous than being attacked by fiends."

"Well, I like it!" Rikku exclaimed, jumping into the air and bouncing around.

Rayne looked over at the Ronso, "Kimahri?"

He nodded, "Kimahri agree."

Rayne looked at the red guardian. "Auron?"

He shrugged, "I see no problems with it."

Rayne looked at the two teens, "Tidus? Yuna?"

They both exchanged glances, then turned to Rayne and smiled, "Sure!"

Wakka sighed, "Well, I guess I'm in on it, too."

Rayne smiled and nodded, "So be it…" Then without any warning, Rayne whipped out her staff and lashed out at Tidus, who barely had time to raise his sword and block the blow with the hilt.

"Whoa!"

Rayne grinned, "Remember, no warning!"

The party watched the two fight for a moment, then looked at each other and joined in, each of them paring off. Rikku and Yuna, Lulu and Wakka, Auron and Kimahri, and Rayne and Tidus; each facing off against each other. If anyone would have walked by, they would have been thoroughly confused and concerned, unsure of how to act.

But, for the group, that was the beauty of fighting in the middle of the Calm Lands; nobody was around to see them.

Time flew quickly and soon the sun was setting. It wasn't until the stars were out that they finally stopped fighting and fell back onto the grass, thoroughly exhausted. Nobody bothered to start a camp fire or even assign watch duty; they all just immediately drifted off to sleep. Well, except Rayne.

When she was sure everyone was dead asleep, she sat up and looked at the sky, smiling at the sight. The expanse above her was anything but black; dots, speckles, and flecks of white were splattered across the sky, as if an angry painter had taken his brush and chucked it at his canvas, unable to do the black expanse justice otherwise. This was one of the many things Rayne loved about Spira; it was untouched by the hateful abuse of pollution. Here, even the smallest and most distant of stars were visible, mere shades darker than the rest, but no less brilliant. Even home hadn't been this bright.

On top of being clear, the sky was cloudless and the moon shone pure and white, like a plate of fresh snow underneath an untainted source of light. It gave the night a feeling of day, only softer and darker. Suddenly inspired, Rayne jumped to her feet and walked out of the camp ground, not bothering to be quiet. She knew her companions were too deep in their sleep to wake up.

She walked a ways from the camp to a small patch of old machina/building outcroppings, perching on a short, flat one. She dug back into her memories, trying to remember the song. It hadn't been one that her brother had listened to, but one she had heard and actually liked, though she had never told anyone about it. She began humming before she realized she was doing it, the tune of the song slipping back into memory. Then, following the tune, there were the lyrics.

"I hear the wind call my name,

The sound that leads me home.

It sparks up the fire – a flame that still burns.

To you I will always return…

I know the road is long, but where you are is home.

Wherever you stay – I'll find a way,

I'll run like the river – I'll follow the sun,

I'll fly like an eagle – to where I belong.

I can't stand the distance – I can't dream alone.

I can't wait to see you – yes, I'm on my way home.

Now I know it's true,

My every road leads to you.

And in the hour of darkness, darlin',

Your light gets me through.

You run like the river – you shine like the sun,

You fly like an eagle-

You are the one… I've seen in every sunset,

And with all that I've learned;

Oh, it's to you – I will always… aalwaayys… return…"

"Rayne?"

She jumped to her feet and spun on the spot, her staff in her hands and ready. Rayne let out a deep sigh of relief, though, when she saw who it was. "Shouldn't you be sleeping, Yuna?"

Yuna stood silent as Rayne sat back down, then walked over to join her. "I couldn't." She looked at Rayne sheepishly, "I couldn't help but wonder… what happened to you… back in Bevelle."

Rayne glanced at Yuna, then shrugged, "I was taken to the Court of St. Helemine."

The girl let out a small gasp, then frowned, "St. Helemine… When I lived in Bevelle, I heard… stories about the Court… Is it really—"

"As dangerous as it was made out to be? Yes. No move you made in there was left un-judged, and if you took one to many wrong steps you… disappeared." She shrugged. "It happened to one of the woman I challenged and beat."

"I… can't believe it." Yuna mumbled, looking out across the plains. "And… and Yevon…"

"Oh, Yuna," Rayne sighed, putting her arm around Yuna's shoulders and pulling her close, "I'm so sorry. You put so much into Yevon, and then…" She shook her head. "But, you can't let that get you down. Auron's right; we don't need Yevons approval to continue the pilgrimage."

"You were right." Yuna shrugged when Rayne looked down at her. "About Seymour. He… he really was…"

"Evil." Rayne nodded. "But what I said hardly matters. Even before you went to him, you knew that something was wrong, but you went in hopes of bettering him, and in doing so bettering Spira. I hate to admit it, but…" Rayne groaned and frowned, "You had the right idea, and I was wrong to try to stop you."

Yuna gapped at Rayne, then sputtered, "But… but it was my fault that we ended up in Bevelle, and my fault that you were brainwashed! How… how could that have possibly been—"

Rayne waved her off. "Details, details. What really matters is the overall outcome." Rayne turned to face Yuna, pulling up her legs and folding them. She looked at her charge pointedly. "We learned the truth, of both Yevon and Sin. We have the chance to free Spira from thousands more years of torment. If we plan our moves carefully, we could end Sin permanently."

"End Sin forever…" Yuna sighed. "It's all so… overwhelming."

"But it may be possible, Yuna, and you are the only one who can do it."

Yuna sat in silence for a moment, then looked up at the sky. "That song you were singing… was very pretty."

Rayne nodded and looked up, as well, smiling. "It's the small things like them that remind me of home."

Yuna glanced at her mother-figure. "They are really all you have now, aren't they?"

Rayne laughed sadly. "Pretty much…"

"Will you… sing another?"

Rayne blinked, then closed her eyes, trying to remember another song. But nothing came to her. She sighed and stood. "Not tonight. Tomorrow. Ask me tomorrow. For now, let's go to bed."

Yuna nodded compliantly, standing and brushing off her skirt. She then followed Rayne back to the camp, where she returned to her place beside Tidus.

Rayne watched Yuna until the girl was asleep, then walked over to Auron, lying beside him. She stared at him for a moment, smiling faintly at his (for once) peaceful face. She then rolled over and closed her eyes. Just before she drifted off to sleep, she felt something warm and heavy drape across her waist. She grabbed Auron's arm and held it, using its weight and warmth to lull her to sleep.


	37. Calm Lands: Walking, Chocobos and Games?

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Calm Lands: Walking, Chocobos, and… Games?)

"Kyeah!"

Tidus's eyes snapped open and he screamed, rolling aside as the bladed staff glanced passed his head. He stared at the blade that was buried in the ground with wide eyes, the looked up at the wielder with even wider eye. "WHAT THE HELL, RAYNE?!"

Rayne yanked her staff out of the ground, hefting it over her head and swinging it down with a bellow of, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE, LADDIE!!!" She could have giggled at her own reference… but was too busy reaping the pleasure she had sown in inciting the teenagers fear.

The rest of the group roused themselves groggily at the sound of fighting, only to freeze and stare at the second oldest and third youngest members of their group; the former apparently trying to behead the latter.

Just as Tidus rolled out of the path of another blow, Wakka scrambled for his sword and shouted, "T, catch!" He lifted Brotherhood and threw it at the teen.

Tidus watched as the blade flew at him, turned on its side and spinning like a Frisbee. He moved to the right slightly, catching the sword by the hilt just as it was about to fly passed him. He then swung the blade forward and caught Rayne's staff just as it was about to connect with his torso, the scraping metals letting of a shower of sparks.

They both stood still for a few moments, silence dropping onto the camp with an almost audible thump. Then, Rayne smiled disarmingly and cheerfully said, "Very good." She left the entire group frozen in confusion, still smiling as she re-sheathed her staff and threw on her jacket.

The group then shook off the randomness and gathered their own things. When camp was packed, Rayne turned and began to walk, the group following her soon after. Rikku looked around them as they walked, frowning and scratching the back of her head. "Uh, Rayne? How do you know that this is the right way? Everything around us all looks… the same."

The rest of the group looked around them and deadpanned, seeing that the Al Bhed girl was right. All around them was… grass. Even the mountains were too indistinct to distinguish. For all they knew, they were completely and utterly lost, and Rayne could be leading them even deeper into the uncharted and unknown.

Rayne, though, confidently replied. "No worries, little sis. I know exactly where I am going."

Auron raised a brow cynically. "How?"

Rayne sighed and looked at him in contempt. "Doubting Thomas, much?" When he just raised his brow even higher, she sighed again and pointed to her staff. "None of you may have noticed, but before I went to sleep last night I took my staff and stabbed it into the ground, angling it in the direction we had come from. The direction we want to go is the opposite from which we came, thus our current course. Happy?"

Well, even if the group wasn't happy, they really didn't have a choice. Right after Rayne had finished speaking she abruptly turned and continued walking, leaving no room for further arguments. So, seeing as no one else had any better ideas, the group obediently followed her.

After a bit of peaceful, silent walking (punctuated by several battles), the landscape began to change. The ground began to slope downwards and then, abruptly, dropped off. The group crowded at the edge of the crater, staring down into it. It was clearly old, seeing as grass hand grown in both the bottom of the crater and up alongside the lip of it, but it also clearly wasn't natural.

Rayne was about to ask the obvious question when she noticed something in the center. There were three spikes of earth sticking out of the ground, and standing at the base of them was… "Yuna. Lady Belgamine."

Yuna snapped to attention and looked around the crater, smiling when she saw the older summoner. She then looked at Rayne, "Can we…"

Rayne nodded and jumped into the basin, holding out her hand for Yuna to grab. The young summoner accepted her help, then they both waited for the rest of the group to come down before setting of for the summoner.

Belgamine smiled as they approached. "Ah, I see you have arrived. I heard you caused quite a bit of trouble in Bevelle."

Yuna balked, then stood straight and declared, "I still plan to continue my pilgrimage, and I have cast aside Bevelle."

Belgamine studied her, then smiled. "Good." Her face then grew severe. "Do not allow those fools in Bevelle hold you back. It is for the aeons to choose their summoners, not the Temples or the Teachings."

Yuna gapped at her trainer, then smiled and bowed, "Thank you."

Belgamine nodded, "Of course. Well, it has been quite some time. Are you ready?"

Yuna nodded, waited as her aeons were healed, then stood ready as Belgamine summoned her aeon. When Shiva stood ready, Yuna twirled her stave and summoned Bahamut, who roared and stood with his arms crossed.

Rayne stood back and admired the aeon. It had been ten yeas since she had last properly seen the Lord of Dragons and Sky, but she remembered him as if it had been yesterday. His black scaly skin, which had actually been surprisingly soft, glistened brightly under the Calm Land sun. His bright purple/black eyes narrowed decisively on his chosen prey, Shiva, though he regarded her respectfully, still recognizing her as a fellow aeon. Though he wasn't an elemental, and therefore couldn't heal himself, it was hardly necessary taking his stats into mind.

Rayne had hardly noticed the battle take place or that it was over, until the great dragon was crouched before her, staring right at her.

'Hello.'

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Rayne stumbled and fell backwards, landing sprawled on her back. She twitched when the dragon laughed in his dry, crackly way, then sat back up and glared at him. "That was NOT funny, Bahamut!"

The dragon tilted his head childishly. 'It was to me.' He then stuck out his great clawed hand.

Rayne grudgingly accepted it, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "Is there anything in particular you wanted? I don't think that you hung around after the battle was over just to scare me half to death."

'I do believe,' Bahamut began, regarding her with amusement in his eyes, 'That you challenged me once. You said, some time ago, that the next time you saw me, you were going to take whatever weapon you had learned to use and shove it up my—'

"ALRIGHTY, THEN!" Rayne exclaimed, backing away and glaring at Yuna pointedly, "I think it's about time that you 'Dismissed' Bahamut here, don't you, Yuna?"

Yuna, who had been watching the exchange between human and aeon with mixed amusement and shock, nodded and waved her staff at the dragon. "Thank you for your help."

Bahamut nodded, then looked at Rayne one final time. 'Bye-bye.' He licked her forehead with his cat-like tongue, then flew off.

There was silence for a moment, followed by Lulu asking everyone's question. "Rayne, what was that?"

Rayne rolled her eyes, "That's for me to know and for all of you to loose hours of sleep over trying to figure out. Just a warning, don't bother; it's a waste of time and energy." She then turned away and zoned out, signaling the end of that conversation.

Belgamine coughed, "Well, now that that is over, here, young summoner, you deserve this." She handed Yuna several pouches of items. "And as for you, guardian," She turned to Rayne, pulling out a small bundle, "I believe you may need this, soon." She handed it to Rayne, then turned and began to walk away. She had a few parting words, which she shouted over her shoulder, "Should you need me, you can find me at the Temple of Remiem." And she was gone.

While Yuna looked over her items, Rayne opened her brown cloth-wrapped bundle and took a look at what was inside. In her palm lay a small silver disc, oval in shape, with a small circular lapis lazuli stone in the center. There was also a fine silver chain which, when Rayne picked it up, she was astonished to find was bound to the disc. It was the oddest thing, though, it didn't have any visible connections…

"Rayne?" She looked up at Lulu, who waved to the plains, "Shall we continue?"

They walked out of the crater and continued, and a short time later…

"BOKY!!!!"

When the rest of the group deadpanned at the scene that played out before them. Out a ways in the fields were Rayne and Boky (who had appeared out of nowhere), the former running while the latter chased her down. Rayne had a mixed look of horror and enjoyment. She was just about to get out of the chocobo's range when the chocobo leapt into the air butted her in the back, pinning her with his foot when she was on the ground.

Shocked, the group ran over to their fallen friend, deadpanning when they found her laughing loudly. She looked over at them when Tidus coughed, and she smiled, "Hey, everyone! You all remember Boky, right?"

The chocobo turned to regard the group, immediately glaring and Auron and Tidus when he saw them. Rayne laughed when she saw this, "Well, he apparently remembers you!"

"Hey! Don't abuse that chocobo!"

The group turned to face a young woman on a chocobo riding up to them, glaring down at them. "He's a free creature, and you have no right to mistreat him!"

Wakka raised his brows and looked between the woman and Rayne. "If anything, I'd say the chocobo's mistreating Lady Rayne."

The woman looked down at Rayne, deadpanning when she saw her. "Oh… I, er… didn't notice you."

Rayne nodded, "Understandable, it's not every day that you find a chocobo standing on a person. Speaking of chocobos…" She looked up, "Boky, get offa me!"

Boky tilted his head and let out an innocent 'Kweh', then took his foot off of Rayne's back and stepped aside. Coughing, Rayne got to her feet and leaned against the chocobo's side, chuckling when he nuzzled her cheek.

The woman watched all of this fixedly, "Is that… your chocobo?"

Rayne chuckled and batted Boky's head away, "Not really. He just likes to follow me around with rapt devotion. He's not really officially tamed, and I've really only known him for a bit."

"Would you like to train him?"

Rayne blinked, then laughed, shaking her head. "Thanks, but no thanks. We've got a ways to go, and Boky already lets me ride him fairly well."

The woman nodded. "I'm sure he does, but wouldn't you and your company like to rent out more chocobos? It would make traveling quicker."

"What does that have to do with training Boky?" Rayne asked, her brow quirked.

"Well," The woman dismounted her chocobo and faced Rayne, "I'm thinking of a friendly contest. Your chocobo against mine. I'll train you in a few areas, then we'll have a race. If your chocobo beats mine, I'll lend you all chocobos for free, so you can cross the Calm Lands quicker."

Tidus crossed his arms, a bit skeptical. "And if she looses?"

The woman, still looking at Rayne, answered, "I get to keep her chocobo."

"Hah!" Rayne scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Sorry, lady, but those stakes are too much in your favor. I'd sooner pay for our chocobos out of my own funds than risk loosing Boky. Thanks, but no thanks." The group turned to walk away, but was stopped when the woman called out to them.

"Wait! I'll throw in this, too!" The group turned back and saw her holding out an odd stick. Upon closer inspection, the group found themselves looking at a pink scepter decorated with various, colorful flowers. "This," The woman explained, "Is the 'Flower Scepter'. It's some kind of key for the Temple of Remiem, which I'm told is located somewhere here in Calm Lands."

Rayne quirked a brow, 'Belgamine's Temple?'

"Take the challenge." Rayne blinked and looked up at Auron, who was now standing beside her and looking down at her seriously. "Take it. Remiem Temple is an old, lost temple. If the fayth sill remains there, Yuna might be able to gain a new aeon."

Rayne sighed and looked at Boky. "What do you think?"

Boky looked at the woman and her chocobo, his chest puffing and his wings flapping indignantly. "WARK!!!"

"Alright!" Rayne exclaimed, laughing. She then turned to the woman, crossing her arms and smirking. "We accept."

The woman nodded, turning to her chocobo and pulling out several items from her saddlebag. "You'll need theses. I'll show you how to put them on and use them the first time for free, but any other time you'll have to pay me."

The items turned out to be a soft leather saddle and soft leather reigns, which were really just for speed riding and rather cheap. Rayne learned easily how to put them on, having to do it herself seeing as Boky wouldn't let the chocobo woman touch him. Though he didn't really like the items, he allowed Rayne to put them on easily, his unwavering devotion showing even when he crouched down to give her easier access to his back.

When the equipment was all on, Rayne found it much easier to get on and stay on Boky's back, which in turn made him happier. After a few quick pointers, the woman was ready to begin the race.

"Alright," The chocobo woman shouted from her side of the starting point, "I'll give you the first time for free, seeing as your chocobo is new to the concept of tamed riding, but after that—"

"Cut the crap!" Rayne shouted, cutting the woman off, "Boky and I are ready, so let's start with the competition right off!"

And, with that, the whistle blew and they were off. The chocobo woman took the lead, a look of triumph on her face. Rayne saw this and knew what she was thinking. 'She's thinking she's won easy and that she's going to get a fine chocobo to add to her herds. Well, we'll show her—' "Faster, Boky!"

The chocobo let out a 'Wark!', then sped up. After a few moments, he was running neck-and-neck with the other chocobo. But it wasn't enough to pass.

Hit by a sudden stroke of inspiration, Rayne shouted, "Boky! Pretend we're racing Auron! Do you want Auron to win?!"

The chocobo gave no verbal response to this. Was there really an appropriate one? No. Rather, he responded physically. He sped up. Faster than Rayne had imagined he would. And definitely faster than the chocobo woman thought he would. The chocobo woman could only watch in horror and envy as Rayne and Boky crossed the finish line first.

Rayne sat on Boky's back triumphantly as the woman rode up. "Good race."

The woman looked at Rayne for a moment, and just when Rayne thought she was going to flip her the bird or scream at her, the woman smiled genuinely. "I'm happy to see that such a loyal chocobo found such an understanding master. Thank you." The woman then willingly handed over the 'Flower Scepter'. "You and your group come by the rest stop whenever you want your chocobos. I'll be waiting!" She then rode off.

Rayne and Boky went back to the group, Rayne presenting the scepter to Yuna. "Here. When we find Remiem, it'll be your place to use this."

Yuna took the scepter and smiled. "Thank you."

There was a pause, then Wakka scratched the back of his head. "Now what?"

Rayne shrugged, "The woman said that there was a rest stop around here, but do we really want to head there yet?"

"Of course not!" Rikku exclaimed. "These are the Calm Lands! There's bound to be loads of treasure and things to do, so let's find them!"

Rayne groaned, "That's just it, though; 'these are the Calm Lands'. How are we going to find anything?!"

At this, Boky perked up and let out a 'Wark!' Rayne glanced down at him. "You got an idea? Be my guest."

Boky nodded seriously, then turned and began to run, taking off with Rayne. The group exchanged glances, then ran after them. A time later, they arrived at one of the mountain sides. They looked around expectantly, Boky just standing and staring off into space.

"Great," Auron muttered, "We trusted a chocobo to lead us somewhere, and we got lost. Who would have thought?"

At that moment, there was loud, feral screech, and the group ran in different directions in order to avoid being torn to shreds by a freaky fiend. The think looked like a blorba, but had the arms of a wendigo and the legs of a chimera. (Get it, yet? If not, the thing's just damn ugly.) It looked at Wakka, who hadn't managed to run far enough away, then opened its large mouth and swallowed him whole. Wakka went down screaming.

Rayne's vision flashed red and she jumped off of Boky's back. "OH, HELL NO!" She tore her staff out of its sleeve, the stone flashing and turning into an aurichalcite, and threw it into the air, where it froze in a solid, but well cut, Romanesque column of ice. Rayne, now standing in front of the column, spun in a circle. "Come hither, my loyal servant."

The column shattered and left behind an icy man with blue skin and no hair. He caught Rayne's staff as it fell, walking up beside her and handing it to her. She nodded and accepted it, picking up one of the shards of ice from the ground and handing it to him. He accepted it, waving it in a wide arc. It was surrounded in a burst of icy flakes and powder, which cleared away to leave behind a large black hand fan.

Rayne pointed to the freaky fiend and shouted, "Arctic Gale!"

The man snapped his wrist and opened the fan and, white panels gleaming, waved it in a complex pattern, to which a symbol formed before him. He then waved it one final time, waving away the symbol and forming a great gust of icy wind. The fiend froze instantly and the man threw himself at the fiend, shattering it and disappearing, himself. All that was left behind was a slightly damp and extremely confused Wakka.

He looked around and scratched the back of his head. "Wha?—"

"DA DA DANANANA DA DA DU DA – DA DA DANANANA NA DA DAH DA!!!!!!!!!!"

The whole group jumped out of their skins as the freaky carnie music started to play and confetti of all colors rained down on them.

"CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!" A voice from nowhere boomed. "YOU ARE THE FIRST GROUP TO SUCCESFULLY BEAT ONE OF MY CREATIONS IN BATTLE!!!! IF YOU COME TO MY PLACE JUST A BIT TO YOUR RIGHT, YOU CAN CLAIM YOUR PRIZE!!!"

Rayne stormed over to Wakka and helped him to his feet. She then turned and began to storm off in the direction the voice had told them to. "Let's go!!! Now!!! That dude is gonna pay!!!!"

After exchanging worried glances, the group ran after the fuming and now twitching Rayne. After a bit of walking, a guy randomly jumped out from behind a rock and struck a pose. "Welco—"

He was cut off as Rayne's fist connected with his face. She glared down at the man writhing on the ground and kicked him. "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"

Tidus and Rikku jumped forward and grabbed Rayne's arms, pulling her back from the man on the ground. When she kept trying to struggle out of their grips, Tidus screamed into her ear, "Stop it, Rayne! Let him explain himself, at least!"

Rayne stopped struggling, but planted her feet and glared daggers at the man, her left cheek twitching.

The man, who had curled up into a ball when Rayne started to kick him, rebounded quickly, jumping to his feet and brushing himself off. He then looked at the group with a wide smile, despite the bruise that was already showing on his cheek. "Oh, no need to worry, that was nothing! My family did much worse when they found out about my chosen career path!"

Yuna coughed and stepped forward. "Which is?"

The man struck another pose and proudly answered, "Beastmaker!"

There was a long, drawn out silence, broken when Rayne asked, "Soo… you're a genetic engineer?"

"Oh," The man whined, "But 'Beastmaker' sounds so much more… quixotic!"

Rayne rolled her eyes, "Whatever." She then turned and walked away, the group moving to follow.

"Wait!" The man ran at Rayne and threw himself at her feet, latching onto her legs. "Don't leave me!"

Rayne looked down at the man incredulously. "What do you want?"

"Well, you see," The man began sheepishly, still latched to Rayne's legs and picking at the grass, "I… I'm not a very good Beastmaker, mainly because I'm not strong enough to gather my fiends quickly. I have to trap them all, and that usually doesn't work very well."

"Yes, yes, that's very sad. Now get off of my legs!"

"NO!" The man redoubled his clutching as Rayne tried to wiggle away. "I need your help!"

"I'm sorry," Yuna said, staring down at the man pityingly, "But we really have to go. We're on a pilgrimage."

"Well, that works out perfectly!" The man shouted, jumping to his feet and unknowingly tripping Rayne in the process. "You'll go to different places and see different fiends, and then you can catch them for me!"

"Uh, how?" Wakka made the mistake of asking.

"With these!" The man pulled a bundle out of hammer space and laid it out on the ground, revealing various weapons. "These," He began to explain proudly, "Are my latest creations! They work like regular weapons, but they capture fiends instead of killing them! All captured fiends are automatically transported to me, and I put them in their cages!"

"Cool." Rikku said, bending over to look at the pair of knuckles she found. "How do they work?"

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you!" The man exclaimed, laughing.

The group deadpanned.

"Well?" The man began, his eyes hopeful, "Will you? Pretty please?"

Rayne sighed loudly, standing back on her feet. "You probably would keep asking, even if we said no, wouldn't you?"

The man smiled. "Absolutely!"

Rayne grumbled and shook her head, "Fine."

"I LOVE YOU!" The man leapt on Rayne, hugging her tightly, "I swear, you won't regret it!" He then passed out the weapons, calculating the cost. "What?" He asked innocently when Rayne glared at him. "I gotta eat, too, you know." When they were walking away, the man shouted to them. "COME BACK SOME TIME, AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FIGHT THE MONSTERS YOU HELPED CREATE!!! YOU'LL GET LOADS OF EXPERIENCE AND COOL ITEMS FOR IT!!!"

Rayne sighed and shook her head. "Weird old hermits and their games."


	38. Adding a New Player to the Game

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Adding a New Player to the Game)

When the party had finally reached the rest stop, Rayne automatically headed for the save point. Tidus had the same idea, too. They both touched the blue sphere at the same time, and they were both plunged into darkness.

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When Sebastian finally stopped playing, he followed Michael into the kitchen where they both sat down for a glass of soda and a bowl of chips.

"Dude," Seb said after a few moments, "That has got to me the freakiest and most convoluted game I have ever played." He tipped his glass at Michael. "I feel for you sister."

Michael just shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe she… she kissed Auron."

"Who could blame her?" Seb asked, shrugging, "She's been trapped in that game for ten years. Hormones had to kick in some time."

Michael groaned and slammed his head on the table. "She kissed him."

Seb laughed. "Dude. Chill. Auron seems like an O.K. guy, and I don't think he'd hurt her or anything. Anyway…" He took another drink of his soda. "That 'Rikku' girl is pretty cute."

"She kissed him!" Michael shouted. "I mean, come on! The dude's gotta be what… seven years older than her?!"

Sebastian shrugged. "Better than some. Did you hear about that one couple? The guy was like, what? thirty years older? And the other couple where the lady was twenty years older? and the kid was still in high school? Man, these days, seven or even eight isn't that much." Seb thought about it, rubbing his chin. "Which would make Rikku perfectly legal…"

Michael pursed his lips, "She's fifteen. We're nineteen."

"Bah!" Seb waved him off, taking another drink.

There was a moment of silence, followed by Seb asking, "Mike, what're we doing?"

Michael blinked and looked at his friend. "What?"

Sebastian shrugged. "What're we doing? If your sister really is stuck in that game, why are we playing it? I mean, what'll we accomplish?"

"We might be able to…" Michael trailed off and stared at his soda. Might be able to what? Bring Rayne home? By winning the game? Was that it? Even if it was it, what if she was still as old as she was in the game? What then? And how would they explain her and her appearance to their parents?

"Never mind." Seb shrugged and smiled when Michael looked at him. "Forget about it. We'll worry about it when we win."

Michael smiled tipped his glass in his friend's direction, taking a long drink. 'I'm glad I have a friend like Seb.'

They continued to drink their sodas and eat chips, talking and joking about life, school, and the future, trying to forget the game for a moment. They both froze, though, when the doorbell rang.

Michael and Seb looked at each other, eyes wide and both asking the same thing. "You expecting anyone?" Well, they both took that as a 'no' and stared at each other a bit more, jumping when the bell rang again.

Michael jumped to his feet and muttered, "I'll get that." Sebastian silently followed him.

At the door, Michael froze, trying to think of all of the people it could possibly be. The person on the other side, though, had a different idea and cut off his thinking time by ringing the bell again. Before Michael realized it, he felt the cool metal of the doorknob beneath his hands and was opening the door, smiling and forgetting all of his worries at what he saw on the other side.

Hazel eyes looked up at him brightly, a smile shining in them. "Hi, Mike." Long chestnut hair ran between his fingers as he pulled her into a hug, breathing in her scent of pine needles and dried oak leaves.

He smiled serenely and set his chin on top of her head, breathing her in. "Hey, Heather."

She giggled and hugged him back. "I missed you."

He sighed and nuzzled her head. "I missed you, too."

"Oh, GAG ME!!!!"

Michael rolled his eyes and Heather giggled, wriggling out of his arms and walking into the house. "Hi, Sebastian."

Michael shut the door and turned to his friend and girlfriend. She gave Seb a brief hug, "You here helping Mike on the work he has to do for his father?"

Seb threw Michael a look and haltingly answered, "Uh, y-yeah. Work for his old man, lots of paperwork. Very important."

She smiled, "That's so sweet of you." She then turned to Michael. "So, can I hang around and help?" Without waiting for an answer, she spun and glided towards Michael's dad's office, the two boys following and sputtering after her.

"Actually, Heath," Michael said, "We got it pretty much covered. We split the work and got it all laid out in an organized fashion. Kinda too late to change it now."

She looked inside of the office, taking notice of the disarray the computer was in. "That's alright. I'll just help you on your stuff, Michael. Where are you two working, anyway? The guest room?" She shut the door to the office and flitted off to Rayne's room.

"Actually," Seb said, jogging to catch up with her. "Mike's pretty much done with his stuff. He's just gotta file it, and that's basically a one person job."

"Then I'll help you." She opened the door to the 'guest room' and found it empty. "The kitchen, then?"

The boys looked at each other, panic on their faces. They then ran after her as she spun down the hallway, Michael calling out, "Seb's not much of a 'help me' guy. He likes to do things on his own, and he might get mixed up if he has help."

Heather waltzed through the living room and into the dining room/kitchen, taking no notice of the PlayStation. "Then I'll just sit back and watch. If you two are hungry, I could make lunch." She frowned as she looked around the bare kitchen. "Where exactly did you say you were working on all of this paperwork, anyway?"

Michael looked at Sebastian. "We didn't."

She turned to face Michael and tilted her head. "Then let me ask: Where are you working on your father's paperwork?"

Michael spun his hands in little helpless circles, slowly drawling out, "Weeee, aren't."

She crossed her arms and frowned. "Are you two trying to get rid," she trailed off a bit when she finally noticed the TV was on and the PlayStation was sitting in front of it, flashing. "Of me…" She finished. She then looked at Michael pointedly, looking a bit upset. "Are you playing a video game?"

Michael coughed and lifted his hand, tilting it in a teeter-totter motion, "Kinda… maybe… sorta… not really…" He noticed her look and dropped his hand and his head. "Yes."

Heather rolled her eyes and sighed, "And why wouldn't you tell me?" She paused, then her eyes grew wide and she ran into the living room. "Unless its one of those filthy nudy women games, or the one with string bikini volleyball!"

"Hey!" Sebastian exclaimed as she began to dig around for something. "Don't bash beach bikini ball madness! It's a perfectly—"

"Repulsive game. Aha!" Heather exclaimed as she pulled out the game case from beside the TV, holding it up triumphantly and looking at the cover. "Well, Michael, what do you have to say about this?!"

"What are you—?" He looked at the game case and blinked. It was pure white, no pictures or even a title whatsoever.

Sebastian walked over to Heather and took the case from her hands, turning it over and over as if to make something appear by magic. "… The frick?" Michael walked over and joined him in staring at the blank game case.

Heather rolled her eyes and bent over the PlayStation, making sure it was off before opening it and pulling out the disk. The boys stared at it with wide eyes; the disk was white, too!

"So," Heather drawled, standing and spinning the disk on her forefinger, "Do either of you care to explain."

"It's not what it looks like!" Michael immediately yelled. He then smacked his forehead. "God, that is one of the worst lines, but I swear it's true!" He exclaimed, seeing Heather's skeptical look. "I swear, Heath, it's just a game! A-an adventure game! No sexual innuendos whatsoever."

She stopped spinning the disc and sighed, smiling and shaking her head. "Alright, Mike. If you say so, I trust you." She handed the disc back to him, then sat on the sofa. "So, is it alright if I hang around and watch you guys play?"

Michael stared at her for a moment, then began to shake his head slowly and smile, "I really don't deserve you."

Heather giggled, "I know."

Sebastian took the game from his twitterpated friend and put it back into the PlayStation. "You want me to keep playing, Mike? Or do you want to?"

Michael shook his head and sat on the ground. "I'll take over." Once the game booted up and the music started to play, Heather stopped him before he could click passed it.

"It's such a sad song." She observed, staring at the screen dreamily.

Seb nodded, flopping down onto the other sofa. "It's a sad game."

Heather nodded, "I can tell…" She then looked at the characters as they appeared on the screen, gasping when she saw one in particular.

Michael turned away from the screen and stared at her. "What is it, Heather?"

She shook her head, "It… it's just…" She slid off of the sofa and crawled over to the TV, pointing to one of the characters. "She looks so familiar…"

Michael and Sebastian looked at the screen and blanched. Heather's finger was pointing to Rayne. Coughing, Michael haltingly asked, "How so? Where do you… remember her from?"

Heather frowned and sat back, shaking her head. "That's just it; I don't remember. Hmm," She tilted her head, "I… kinda remember her from… here…" She looked at Michael, confusion on her face. "Do you have a cousin who looks like her… or a relative I met once?"

Michael and Sebastian stared at her, then looked at each other. Michael scooted closer to Heather and handed her the remote. "Here, why don't you play for a bit?" When she was about to protest, he began to point to the different buttons, "…And the 'X' is the action button. Now, we load the game," He pressed on her finger and made her load it, "And then you just start playing." He backed away and left her to her own devices, staring between her and the screen.

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Rayne felt a jolt as she was pulled back into the game, her conversation with Valefor about their preference between Dill and Sweet pickles cut short. Frowning, she walked away from the rest of the group and stared up at the sky, where she figured the camera was staring at her. "DAMN IT, MICHAEL, WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT WARNING ME WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO PAUSE AND UNPAUSE?!" She then paused, shaking her head at the odd feeling that was possessing her. It had happened once before, when Michael had apparently let Sebastian play. This feeling, though, wasn't Michael or Sebastian. It was something softer… more feminine… Rayne stared back up at the sky and called out incredulously, "HEATHER?!"

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Both of the boys watched wide eyed at the Rayne on the screen as she yelled at her twin brother, then correctly guessed the current player of the game. Speaking of the current player…

"OH MY GOD!!!" Heather jumped to her feet and threw the controller at the screen, backing away from the TV wide eyed. "Michael, what is that?! Artificial intelligence?! How did you program it to see me?! Why didn't you warn me?!"

Michael jumped up and pulled Heather into a hug, still staring at the screen. "Heather, honey, there's something I have to tell you." He moved to the PlayStation and picked up the controller, pausing the game. He then pulled Heather down beside himself and pointed to Rayne on the screen. "Do you know who that is?"

Heather frowned, "I only just started playing, but if you mean do I remember where I recognize her from, no. I already told you that."

"No, Heather," Michael turned her to face him and looked right into her eyes, panicking. Would she believe him? "Heather… that's Rayne. That's my sister."

Heather stared at him silently for a moment, then looked and stared at the character on the screen. The character, Rayne, had the same look of confusion that Heather had. After a moment, Heather stood and walked over to the PlayStation, hesitantly picking up the controller. She stared at it for a moment, then pressed the 'Start' button and continued playing the game.

Michael and Sebastian exchanged glances, then relaxed on their sofas and watched the story play out, assisted by the newest player.

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Rayne balked and shook of the nauseous feeling of being unpaused.

Nearby, she heard Wakka shudder loudly and say, "Sin's acting up today, ya?"

She just shook her head and walked back to the group. 'More like my brother's girlfriend…' She then frowned and dug out her Sphere Grid, absentmindedly noticing how long it had been since she had upgraded it. She was too busy thinking about Heather.

Heather had always been a… a… a perfect girl, in Rayne's eyes. A sort of 'girl next door' type, only… better somehow. She had always been marginally nicer to Rayne than most girls were, and noticeably nicer when she found out that Rayne was Michael's brother, but they had never really… talked. Sure, Rayne had been introverted, but even if she hadn't she and Heather were really a bit too different for them to consider being friends, unless serious circumstances made it otherwise.

But they never had. And Rayne and Heather had remained as they always had; vaguely aware of each others existence, but largely indifferent about it. So, why was Michael letting her play the game?…

Rayne heard mention of her name and looked up, seeing Yuna, Lulu, and Wakka conversing with a Bevellian monk, Father Zuke. Rayne vaguely remembered the priest; he had been from Besaid and had asked Wakka, Lulu, and herself to be his guardian. Rayne had seen the lackluster approach he took to being a summoner, and she knew that he would never finish the pilgrimage. As such, she refused. And she had been right; Zuke had quit here, on the Calm Lands. He hadn't even bothered to come back to Besaid.

He saw her as he walked off and nodded, which she returned. Rayne looked at the group and noticed Auron standing a ways off from the other, which wasn't all that unusual. What was, though, was the melancholy look he had on his face. She then heard the others talking about Kinoc and felt a pang for Auron. She walked over to him and stood beside him.

They stood in silence for a moment, then Auron said, "He was just too devoted to Yevon."

"Power, Auron. He was devoted to power."

He sighed, "I know."

After another moment of silence, Rayne said, "He wasn't always like that, was he?"

Auron closed his eyes and shook his head, "There was a time when he was an honorable warrior monk. I was… glad for the opportunity to serve beside him." He sighed, "Ten years, though… it's almost guaranteed to change a person."

Rayne thought about it, "Do you suppose I would have liked the old him?"

Auron smirked and nodded, "You would have."

Rayne looked at Auron seriously, "I'm sure that, even though you were on opposite sides of the playing field in the end, he still… considered you his best friend."

Auron looked at her and smiled halfheartedly, "Thanks."

Rayne nodded, then stood and walked away, looking around at the rest of the party. She noticed Kimahri standing off alone, staring at their destination.

"We'll be at Mt. Gagazet soon." The Ronso looked down at her and nodded. She nodded back and looked in the direction of the mountain. "Are you… ready for what you might face there?"

The Ronso nodded. "Kimahri is always prepared."

Rayne smiled and nodded. "Of course… Kimahri, can I see your Grid for a moment?" The Ronso handed her his Grid and she brought out her own, crossing both of them over to each other. She then ran over to Auron, taking his from him without him noticing. She crossed Kimahri's and Auron's as she walked back. When she was standing beside the Ronso again, she handed him his Grid. "Now, you have plenty of time between here and Gagazet to at least touch up a bit, and I expect you to do it. Am I clear?"

Kimahri stared at her, then nodded and began to make adjustments on his Grid. Rayne knew that that was as close to gratitude that she was going to get, and accepted it wholeheartedly. Suddenly inspired, she began to walk around and advise everyone on crossing over their Grids, smiling at the joy on Tidus's face in finally being able to use Auron's Grid. When everyone had crossed over, Rayne walked into the shade with her Grid and Auron's and worked on them both.

When she was done, she walked back over to Auron and handed him his Grid, ignoring the glare she received when he realized that she had taken it. She then walked to the edge of the rest stop, petting the head of the chocobo that was waiting for her. "What do you think, Boky? Are you ready to move on?" When Boky let out an excited 'Kweh!', she turned to the group and shouted, "Alright, let's move out!!!"

When the group formed at the edge of the rest stops boundaries, Rayne turned to the chocobo woman, who had been waiting expectantly. "Outfit everyone but me with chocobos, and make sure to pack them well. We're going to be on the Calm Lands for a bit."

Soon, the group was equipped with the best endurance/travel chocobos the woman had, with Kimahri getting a special chocobo that was also bred for weight bearing. Rayne hopped up on Boky and led him in her selected destination, the group following and realizing that she was leading them back the way they had come.

"Uh… Rayne?" Rikku ventured.

"I know, Rikku, but I want to look at something."

"What?" Auron asked.

Rayne stopped her chocobo and pointed at something along the mountain line. "Look."

The group did and saw nothing. Then, when they looked closer, they noticed a faint break in the wall, like a passage. It wasn't far from the path back to Bevelle.

"I think that that's where the Temple of Remiem is."

They all exchanged glances, Yuna asking. "How can you tell?"

"This," She lifted the necklace that Belgamine had given her. "I don't know what it does, but it only does it whenever I look in that direction. Just… call it a six sense."

Unable to question her further, the group followed her back the way they had come, in the assumed direction of the Temple of Remiem.


	39. The Temple of Remiem

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(The Temple of Remiem)

Rayne looked at the gap and frowned. Now that she was on the edge of the cliff, she saw it clearly; there was a wide ledge right across from the incline that lead to a rift in the mountain. Question was; could the chocobos jump it?

"Alright," She said, turning back to the party, "Boky and I are going to go first. Then, if we make it, you all follow. We clear?" Several affirmatives rang out and Rayne and Boky turned back to the crevice. She patted the chocobo's neck. "Ready boy?"

Boky jumped in the air and screeched, "Wark!"

Rayne smiled, "Then fly away, little Boky."

The chocobo backed up a few steps, shook his head, then ran forward with all his might, jumping and flapping his wings. Rayne tried not to look down and focused instead on the grass. First it grew smaller, then it got closer and closer, and closer, and then… Boky's feet touched down and he skidded to a halt.

Rayne turned back to the party and waved, "Let's go!" She then moved Boky aside and watched as the rest of the party jumped their chocobos over. When they had all crossed, they dismounted their chocobos. Rayne patted Boky's neck. "Keep 'em here, alright, boy?"

Boky nodded and let out a, "Kweh."

Yuna nodded and smiled to her guardians, "Let's go, then."

They walked through the rocky crevice, the light quickly dimming, but only for a moment. As soon as the light had dimmed, it brightened again, and the group had to shield their eyes as they walked back into the blinding sun. When their eyes adjusted, they gapped at the sight before them.

Remiem Temple was a work of architectural genius; it stood in the center of a natural hole in the mountain, supported by raised pillars with great binds of metal rope. The bridge that led to it was simple yet sturdy, and Rayne found that as long as she didn't look down into the abyss below she was able to convince herself that she was walking on solid ground.

The great door that waited for them on the other side of the bridge was divided into three separate panels, each with its own symbol on it. Rayne recognized the symbols from long ago… but said nothing. 'Well, the Flower Scepter makes much more sense, now."

Yuna walked to the door, first, and it recognized her as a summoner. There was a colorful pulse from each of the symbols which quickly faded, and the door grated open with the sound of stone on stone. The inside was dark, and the party had to wait for their eyes to adjust. When they did, they found Belgamine waiting for them in the center of the room, which was nothing more than a large circular platform in the center of another abyss.

"You found this place sooner than I expected. Well done."

Yuna bowed, "It was Rayne who found it."

Belgamine nodded to Rayne, "So, you are able to use the pendant?"

Rayne nodded, "Lady, what did you mean when—"

"You will discover in good time." Belgamine said, staring at Rayne pointedly. Rayne looked at her, then nodded, turning and walking out of the Temple. 'I can already guess what's going to happen in there, so I see no further reason to stay.'

As the Temple door shut, Rayne heard the beginnings of the aeon battles. She sighed and sat on the steps, looking at the silver and lapis lazuli pendant. She turned it over but found nothing on the back but a solid silver surface. She turned it over again and stared at the stone, rubbing it with her thumb. An electric shock ran between the stone and her thumb, causing Rayne to drop the pendant.

She stared at it for a moment, hesitant to touch it again. After nothing happened, she reached down and grabbed the oval, another shock running through her. This time, a thin string of silver shot and ran underneath her. Rayne jumped to her feet and spun around, watching as the silver thread ran up the steps, then up the crack of the door, splitting into three and connecting with each of the three symbols. The symbols shone lapis lazuli for a moment, then faded back to their stone selves.

In her hand, the oval burned hot for a moment, causing Rayne to yelp and drop it for a second time. This time, instead of picking it back up, she stared at it, turning it over with her shoe. That was when she noticed something strange on the back. She bent down and flicked the necklace, and when it didn't burn her she picked it up and looked at it more closely.

There, on the back where there had previously been nothing but silver, were not three tiny symbols in a triangle formation, all in the lower left hand corner of the oval, embossed in grey. Rayne flipped the oval over and, seeing nothing but lapis lazuli, flipped it over again to stare at the symbols. 'I wonder if I'm going to need all of the others…'

"See something interesting?"

Rayne screamed and jumped, glaring at Auron as he laughed at her. "That wasn't funny."

Auron smirked, "I think I'll take a leaf out of Bahamut's book and say 'it was to me'."

Rayne rolled her eyes, then looked at Auron suspiciously. "How did you know he said that?"

He chuckled and walked over to the stone railing, leaning against it. "One must take into mind my less than admirable qualities."

Rayne scoffed, then looked back to the temple and watched as the others began to file out. Yuna, though, stayed inside. "Yuna and Belgamine going on an aeon battle spree?"

Auron looked at the temple door and nodded. "Belgamine has quite a bit to teach Yuna."

Rayne nodded and rocked back and forth on her feet, "She is a knowledgeable woman and an admirable summoner."

He nodded, "But she wasn't able to finish."

Rayne nodded solemnly, then thought of something, "Hey, Auron?"

"Hmm?"

"How is it that the unsent are able to will themselves into being?"

He balked and stared at her. "What makes you think I know?"

Rayne rolled her eyes and leaned against the railing beside him, staring at the mountain side. "Well, you are a natural born Spiran citizen, and a former Yevon warrior monk, so if it were expected of either of us to know…"

Auron sighed, then frowned, "In order for a spirit to become an unsent it must have a strong attachment to the material world. You know that much, right?" When she nodded, he continued. "Well, in order to do that, one must first recognize that one is dying. Afterwards, it's a matter of directing coherent thoughts to the pyreflies leaving your body that you still have important things to do. Then, you keep running those thought through your mind and…"

Rayne, who had been staring at him with rapt attention, asked, "'And'?"

He looked at her and shrugged. "And that's all I know. Not many unsent pass on the knowledge of how they managed to do it."

Rayne leaned back and whistled lowly. "You'd need a will of steel to do that, huh?"

Auron looked away from her and nodded, "I can… imagine that it is something that requires quite a bit of determination and self-control, and probably a whole lot of luck as well." He then sighed and shook his head. "But I can also imagine it to be very exhausting. Being an unsent… it's not something I would recommend or wish on anyone."

Rayne laughed and leaned against him. "Well, it's a good thing you're not an unsent. You're already high-strung as it is." When he didn't answer her, Rayne dropped the conversation and leaned against him more, sighing and closing her eyes. "Auron…"

"Hmm?"

"What if… by some chance, I find a way home at the end of this journey? A way back to my world, and I had a choice to go or stay… what would you say?"

She felt him tense, and he spent his time picking his words. "Depends. What are you expecting when all of this is over?"

Rayne shrugged, "I don't know. A quiet life, I guess. Away from conflict and excitement. Just… to settle down and live in peace."

"Then I'd say to go home." He felt her jerk against him and he shrugged. "If we manage to change things and show the people the truth of Yevon, then Spira will be in an uproar for the next few years."

Rayne thought about it and nodded, "Yeah… I guess." She groaned and moved away from him. "But… but what if I can't adjust to being back home? I've been away from it for nearly half of my life, and most of the memories I have were made here, in Spira."

Auron chuckled, "You'd adjust. If you managed to make it here, in Spira, then you'll have no problems just mellowing out back in your world."

Rayne was silent for a moment. She then asked in a small voice, "Auron… can I be with you when this is all over? The way you've been talking… makes it sound like you won't be here."

Auron didn't answer for a moment. He then shrugged and said, "There's no telling what Sin might do. It just might pick Tidus and I back up and send us back to Zanarkand."

Rayne frowned, "I don't think Jecht would do that…"

Auron shook his head, "Jecht may be Sin, but Sin is a larger title that has been around longer than Jecht. There's no telling how it works, or why Jecht is Sin now."

Rayne looked at Auron, "I think you do know why Jecht is Sin… and I think you do know how it works. I think you know a lot… and I think that you're hiding some rather fundamental things… Things that might just hurt everyone when this is all over."

Auron looked at her and she met his gaze. His expression was unreadable as he scanned her eyes, looking for something. He then sighed and looked at the temple. "I promise… that if you promise not to tell anyone or try to change anything… that I'll tell you everything in Zanarkand. But," Auron stared at her pointedly as she was about to say something, "You have to seriously think about this before you make your promise. This is important, to Spira, Zanarkand, the pilgrimage, the past, the future, and to us."

Rayne thought, then nodded, "I'll think about it."

Auron nodded. "Good."

Rayne turned and leaned against the railing, staring up at the Remiem Temple. "Auron?"

"Hmm?"

"This temple… it has a fayth, right?"

Auron nodded, "We assume."

"But Belgamine's the only one here watching it, right?"

"As far as we've seen."

Rayne frowned, "Then… is it possible that there are other temples that Yevon doesn't recognize… and aeons that aren't standard?"

"It's almost guaranteed."

Rayne looked at him. "Why?"

Auron sighed, "Now that this isn't a pro-Yevon group, we can agree that there is a defined separation between Yevon and Aeon, right?"

Rayne nodded, "Yeah."

"Well, there is also a crossover between Yevon and Aeon, and that is that Yevon only recognizes aeons that are approved by Yevon before they are made, or after depending on the situation. But, approval is not needed by Yevon to make an aeon, you just need to know how. Get it?"

Rayne thought, then nodded. "Yeah… I think. But… isn't that like fiends and unsents?"

Auron shook his head, "In order for an aeon to count as an aeon, the fayth must be trapped in a physical representation of what it shall appear as as an aeon. In the case of Yevon approved aeons, they are statue representations preserved in thick, specially prepared glass. When the summoner prays, they pray to the statues and summon the fayth forth from the statues and out of the glass, which acts to prevent the unworthy from possessing the aeon."

Rayne nodded, "Ah."

The doors to the temple opened and Yuna came stumbling out, catching herself before she fell. She looked at her guardians as they gathered around her. "I… I will be unable to access the fayth inside unless I successfully defeat all of her aeons… and she has aeons I've never heard of!"

Rayne walked up to Yuna and wrapped their arms, supporting the young summoner down to the save point. "That's fine. We probably don't need them, anyway."

Yuna sighed and shook her head, "Still… it would be interesting to find all of them, wouldn't it?"

"Well," Rikku said slowly, a sly look in her eye, "It would take a bit of time, but if you really want to find all of them, we could…"

Rayne rolled her eyes and shot the Al Bhed girl a look. "Nice try, Rikku."

"If we're all done here," Wakka cut in, "Can we get goin', ya? This place gives me the willies."

Back with the chocobos, Rayne nearly fell over at the sight of Boky, who, having cornered the other chocobos, was growling lowly at them, keeping them in one place. When he saw her, though, he dropped his growling and pranced over to her, dropping his head on her shoulder and nuzzling her neck.

Rayne rolled her eyes and patted the side of his head. "Boky, I told you to keep an eye on them, not hold them hostage."

Boky looked at her and cocked his head, letting out an innocent, "Kweh?"

Smiling and sighing, Rayne shook her head and mounted her chocobo, directing him to the edge. "Can you make it?"

"Wark!" And without further say-so, Boky took his running jump over the edge, flapping his tiny wings for the bit of air resistance they offered.

When the rest of the chocobos had made it down, Lulu rode up beside Rayne. "Where to now?"

Rayne shrugged and looked around for a moment. Seeing nothing, she sighed and set her sights for the end of the valley. "I… I think that, for what we're doing, we have taken all the Calm Lands have to offer… It's… time."

Lulu nodded and took the lead, Rayne waiting until everyone had passed her to nudge Boky into moving. Alone in the back, Rayne began to reminisce a bit. 'Only Gagazet between us and Zanarkand… Despite all I've learned, I still haven't thought of a way to save Yuna. Nothing… What… do I do… Braska? Jecht? How… do I do this?'

"Rayne." She looked up at Auron, who was riding beside her. He shook his head, "This wasn't something that you could have figured out by yourself."

She laughed bitterly and shook her head. "I've been thinking about it for ten years, Auron, and still… nothing."

"You could have had all of the time in the world and still come up blank."

When Rayne said nothing, they rode in silence. The journey across the Calm Lands took far less time on the chocobos, and it was still early in the evening when they reached the end.

As the group dismounted their chocobos, Rayne stood by Boky, both of them staring across the Calm Lands. "What do you think, Boky? A lot different from Mi'ihen, huh?"

Boky looked down at her and cocked his head innocently, "Kweh?"

Rayne giggled and shook her head, "Oh, Boky." After a pause, she wrapped her arms around the chocobos neck and gave him a hug. "You have to stay here, boy."

As if getting the implication that she was saying goodbye, Boky shook his head and 'Wark'ed loudly, then stamped his feet nervously. He then turned to the rest of the group, who were standing back and watching sadly. Boky looked at Auron, trying to both glare and beg at the same time.

Auron walked over to them and jerkily pet the chocobo's side. "Uh… you'll be much… happier… here."

Boky's beak trembled and tilted his head back, closing his eyes and letting out a loud, "Kweh!" He then pinned Rayne to the ground with his massive feet and looked down at her with wide, watery eyes, his beak still trembling.

Rayne choked back a sob and shook her head, "I can't stay, Boky. I have to leave. Please… let me go."

Boky 'Kweh'ed forlornly and took his foot off of her, staring at her sadly as she stood. Rayne rubbed her eyes and walked back to the group.

Auron, who was getting slightly sick (yet was somehow disturbingly touched) by the scene, patted the chocobo's flank and said so low that only the chocobo would hear him, "Don't worry. I'll take care of her."

The chocobo met Auron's gaze, then looked the guardian up and down as if seeing him for the first time. He then clicked his beak and nodded, letting out a decisive, "Wark." They both turned to Rayne, who was walking back with the rest of the chocobos.

"Boky, could you do me one last favor and take these guys back to the chocobo lady? I'm sure that they could find their way back on their own, but maybe you could find a nice heard you might like along the way…"

Boky nodded sharply and squealed to the chocobos, who immediately perked up and crowded around him. Boky then leaned over to nuzzle Rayne's cheek, letting out a final 'Kweh' before turning and leading the chocobos back across the Calm Lands.

Rayne watched him for a moment, then turned and walked back among the ranks of the group. "Let's go…" They walked across the bridge, saying goodbye to the calm of Spira.

"Wait." Auron grabbed her arm and turned her back.

Yuna had stopped again, like she always had, and was staring off into the distance. Rayne immediately understood what she was doing; Yuna was etching the scene of the Calm Lands into her memory. She was saying goodbye. Goodbye to the people she had met. Goodbye to the towns she had been to. Goodbye to the sights she had seen. Goodbye to the cheery Spiran sun. Goodbye to the lands of her youth

Rayne shook her head. Yuna could stare at that scene forever. But they didn't have forever… though Rayne wished they did. "Yuna."

The young summoner turned to her guardian and mother figure, looking at her and the rest of the group as if she had forgotten they were there. "Yes?"

Rayne beckoned Yuna with her arm. "Come, it's time."

Though Yuna looked sorely tempted to take a final glance at the Calm Lands, she just smiled and nodded. "Ok." She reached out and grabbed Rayne's hand, letting her guardian escort her back to the group.

Rayne caught sight of the save point and sighed. 'Those game makers never put them in unless something big is going to happen… which seems to be happening a bit too often for my liking.' "Let's take a break and heal ourselves."

After everyone in the party had touched the sphere, they walked out of the archway and into the wide open area. Rayne sighed again. 'They also never purposely put in a large area unless there is going to be a battle. Like back at the Machalania Temple; what was up with that?! The antechamber was soo much bigger than all the others had been, there was no way you could look at it and not suspect something. I mean, come on, seriously!'

"Rayne, look out!"

She snapped out of her rant just in time to duck under a huge stone fist that was flying at her head. "Holy shi—"

A 'Holy' attack hit the launcher of the stone fist and dealt a fair amount of damage to the fiend. Rayne blinked and looked at her hands, a faint amount of red energy present. 'Oops…'

"Pay attention!" Auron growled as he shot passed her and attacked the rock monster with a 'Power Buster'.

Rayne rolled her eyes and launched a 'Watera' attack. "Bite me!"

Tidus rolled his eyes and attacked the fiend with a 'Delay Attack'. "I'm sure that there is nothing he would like more."

"TIDUS!"

The teen just smirked and dodged both attacks that were launched at him, both of them striking the fiend instead. The fiend reeled backwards under the force of the dual attack, then used the momentum to launch itself forward and send both of its stony fists flying at the party.

Wakka and Rayne were struck, causing Yuna to stop casting 'Cura's and use 'Life' on them, instead. When they were back on their feet, both Rayne and Wakka flashed red. Rayne looked at Wakka and shouted, "Go for 'Water'!"

The ex-blitzer nodded and began to spin his ball on his finger, shouting, "Elemental Reels!" When the ball was doused in water, he turned to Rayne. "Whenever you're ready, Lady Rayne!"

Rayne nodded and lifted her staff over her head, spinning it rapidly. The stone flashed and turned into an azurite. The air above her swirled like a vortex, visibly morphing. Rayne then spun once and threw the staff into the air. "Come hither, my loyal servant."

As the staff shot up into the air, it was caught by a hand that appeared out of one of the many ripples in the air. The hand then became an arm, then a body, and a humanoid figure slowly emerged from the morph. The figure then broke free of the air and fell to the ground, the ground where its feet landed undulating like water. Long, sea green hair was tossed back with the figures free hand, revealing the face of a young woman. Her blue skin shimmered iridescently and her long hair draped over her body and acted as her clothes (in other words, she's naked… yeah, I know, but that's just the way it played out in my head… not entirely sure why, but you creative types know that the thought process can be… random…).

The woman casually threw Rayne's staff over her shoulder, then bent over and lay the palm of her hand on the ground, slowly drawing it back up. The ground beneath her hand shone blue, then a golden tip rose up under her lifting hand. Soon, her hand was at her eyelevel and a golden triton was hovering beneath it.

Rayne, who had caught her staff when it was thrown, pointed it at the fiend. "Nautilus Triton!"

The woman slashed her triton in a diagonal sweep, a wave of water following its path and washing over the fiend.

At the same moment, Wakka kicked his ball and aimed it at the fiend, the ball diving into the wave and driving it with greater force. The blitzball cracked the fiend's body, and the water worked in a high-speed form of erosion and broke the fiend into thousands of tiny pieces.

As the few pyreflies that inhibited the fiend fled, Rayne sighed and shook her head, "I dunno about you all, but I've about had it with encounters."


	40. Chamber of the Stolen Fayth

The two songs featured in this chapter, "Get Off Of My Back" and "Sound The Bugle", respectively, do not belong to me

The two songs featured in this chapter, "Get Off Of My Back" and "Sound The Bugle", respectively, do not belong to me. They are the property of Bryan Adams, or whoever he sold the rights to. At the time, they were just mood music that happened to wheedle their way into this story before I realized what I was typing.

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Chamber of the Stolen Fayth)

Instead of heading straight for the tunnel to Gagazet, the party headed down the lower path and made camp in the valley below. Lulu said that the next morning, before they left for the mountain, there was an aeon that she thought it best Yuna get.

"He is powerful and useful, even if he comes at a price." Rayne wondered what the enigmatic Black Mage meant when she said that, but didn't both to ask. She figured she would find out soon enough.

That night, as they sat around the campfire and ate their stews of unnamed fiend, Yuna asked Rayne to sing a song or two. "You really do have a nice singing voice, and the songs you sing are so… interesting!"

Rayne groaned and set her dinner aside. "If I do, we never speak of this, to anyone. Clear?"

The group all agreed and Rayne leaned back and thought. "Upbeat or mellow?"

"Upbeat." Tidus answered.

Rayne nodded, then cleared her throat:

"Well you think that you can take me on,

You must be crazy."

She gave the group a lopsided Cheshire grin.

"There ain't a single think you've done

That's gonna phase me."

The raised her hands and clapped them three times, then continued for the general rhythm of the song.

"Oh, but if you wanna have a go,

I just wanna let you knooooow….

Get offa my back and into my game!

Get outta my way and outta my brain,

Get outta my face or give it your best shot!

I think it's time; you better face the facts,

Get offa my back!"

She jumped to her feet and began to spin around the fire, stopping and pointing to Auron.

"You know it's all a game that I'm playing.

Don't think you can find a way in,

That's what I'm saying."

She turned and walked away, jokingly flipping Auron her ring finger.

"Oh, but if you wanna have a go,

I just wanna let you knoooooow…

Hey! Get offa my back and into my game!

Get outta my way and outta my brain,

Get outta my face or give it your best shot!

I think it's time; you better face the facts,

Get offa my back!"

She plopped back down and picked up her stew, casually asking, "Am I done?"

Yuna and the others applauded, the young summoner laughing, "No!"

Wakka laughed, then said, "How about a slower song, Lady Rayne?"

Rayne nodded, "Alright, let me think of a good one; a fitting one…" She frowned and stared at the fire. Her eyes lit up and she sat up straight. "Alright, got one."

She closed her eyes and began to tap the beat on her leg.

"Sound the bugle now – play it just for me

As the seasons change – remember how I used to be.

Now I can't go on – I can't even start

I've got nothing left – just an empty heart.

"I am a soldier – wounded so I must give up the fight

There's nothing more for me – lead me away…

Or leave me lying here.

"Sound the bugle now – tell them I don't care.

There's no road I know – that leads me anywhere

Without a light, feat that I will – stumble in the dark

Lay right down – decide not to go on.

"Then from on height – somewhere in the distance

There's a voice that calls – 'Remember who you are!'

If you loose yourself – your courage soon will follow.

"So be strong tonight – remember who you are

Yeah, you're a soldier – fighting in a battle.

To be free once more… – yeah, that's worth fighting for!"

After the final crescendo, the party clapped and Rayne stood and bowed, "Thank you, thank you! You have all been a wonderful audience!"

"Sing another!" Rikku called.

Rayne let out an exaggerated sigh and looked around the fire, "Doesn't anyone else want to sing? Dance? Do a fantastic trick? Something?!"

"Oh, oh!" Tidus squealed, raising his hand and jumping up and down. "I can do this!" He then flipped forward and landed on his hands. After teetering for a moment, he regained his balance and lifted one hand high off the ground, resulting in him only standing on one hand.

The group exchanged glances, but Rayne and Yuna began to applaud, so the others joined in.

"Oh!" Rikku jumped to her feet. "I can…"

They showed off and played their games well into the night, and for a bit, everyone forgot the horrible events that were to play out in just a few days time.



"Well… this is it." The group looked down into the cave, trying vainly to see even the shadow of something. Tidus leaned back and whistled, "Yep, this is it, alright."

Rayne scowled and glared at the teen. "Will you quit saying that?!"

Tidus shrugged helplessly, then turned to Lulu. "This is it, right?"

"ARGH!"

Lulu blinked at the fuming Rayne, then turned and nodded to Tidus. "Yes, this is it." She then looked back into the cave, a film of reminiscence forming over her eyes. "This is where my first pilgrimage ended…"

"Lulu…"

The young Black Mage looked to Yuna and smiled, a fierce look in her eyes. "I promise, Yuna, that you will come out of this."

Yuna nodded and smiled, "I'm sure I will."

The group then turned back to the cave, looking down into the dark depths. Tidus rocked back and forth on his heels. "Yep… this is it."

"That's it!" Rayne lunged forward and pushed Tidus into the cave, a gleam of madness in her eyes. The gleam quickly faded, though, and she joined the group in staring down into the depths. "Tidus? T?"

There was silence, followed by Tidus's low moan, "Oooouuuuchhh!"

Rayne shrugged. "He's fine. Let's go."

The group waited for her to go in first, then followed her cautiously. At the bottom of the short hill, they found Tidus standing with his arms crossed and a pout on his face. "That wasn't nice."

Rayne shrugged and walked passed him, "Think of it as payback for nearly impaling me with my staff back on Mi'ihen."

Tidus stared at her back incredulously, "You're still mad about that?!"

Still walking, Rayne called back, "I hold grudges, Tidus, and they are paid in the end, one way or another."

Along their walk through the cave, the party ran into a slew of powerful fiends, and not a single person in the group escaped without a scratch. Partway through, when the group stopped to take a break, Tidus collapsed into a wall and moaned, "Who would put a fayth here, anyway?!"

Lulu shrugged, "Someone who wouldn't want the summoners to complete their pilgrimage."

There was a pause and several glances were thrown Rikku's way. She shrugged, "Don't look at me; I've never heard of any missions to completely remove a fayth from its resting place, so it was probably done before I was even born."

After Yuna had healed the group and they spent a few moments catching their second wind, the group stood and trudged on, anxious to get the fayth and get out.

As they neared the end, the pendant around Rayne's neck went ice cold and a will-o'-the-wisp feeling washed over her. "Something's here…"

Wakka braced himself and looked around, "Another Guado fiend?!"

Kimahri growled, "No. An Unsent!"

At that moment, pyreflies began to swirl around the group. As dust was whipped into the air, they covered their faces, shrinking back from the eye of the storm. When the whirlwind had settled slightly, they all peeked out from behind their hands and arms. Lulu gasped.

"It is… It's you, is it not, Lady Ginnem?" Lulu lowered her head, "Forgive me. I was… too young."

Rayne recognized the name of the first summoner Lulu had guarded, and recognized the woman, herself. There was silence, and Yuna stepped forward, stave poised.

Lady Ginnem's hand slashed through the air, canceling out Yuna's sending.

Lulu shook her head and stepped back, "There is not human left in you now, is there?"

Rayne stepped forward and placed her hand on the younger Black Mage's shoulder.

The unsent Ginnem's eyes flashed and she waved her arm angrily.

Lulu breathed in sharply, then looked at her old summoner with resolution in her eyes. "Very well, then. Allow me to perform my last duty to you. My last as your guardian."

Ginnem's eyes flashed again and more pyreflies swirled around her, moving slightly to her right to form an aeon.

Rayne shook her head and stepped forward. "Not alone, you won't."

Wakka stepped forward, as well. "Lu…"

Lulu looked at the both of them, nodding her head solemnly, "Thank you."

The rest of the party stood back and watched the battle unfold; three guardians against an unsent and her aeon.

The aeon was a tall humanoid dressed in lavish Japanese warrior garb and a traditional mask. Rayne recognized him to be a ronin; a masterless samurai and, in this case, he was also a bodyguard.

Rayne just had to skim her brain to remember who this particular aeon was.

"Yojimbo!"

The aeon paused just before he was about to throw several kunai at Wakka and looked at Rayne, a look she assumed would have been questioning… had she been able to see his face.

Rayne pointed to Ginnem, "You're supposed to obey the ones that send the unsent, so why are you obeying an unsent?!"

The ronin tilted his head slightly as if to consider her question, then flung his arm and launched the kunai at Rayne, instead. She screeched, then spun her staff in front of herself and managed to fend off a few of the knives.

She hissed as several of the daggers dug into her skin. After ripping them out, she pursed her lips and glared at Yojimbo. "Alright, so I wasn't going to go all crazy on you because I respected you more than that, but that right there just really ticked me off, you jerk! Yevon, you are just like Auron!" She dodged another volley of kunai, this time managing to avoid getting stabbed.

Back with the rest of the party, Tidus looked at Auron with his brows raised. "Was that an insult to you or the aeon?"

Auron sighed and frowned, "I try not to think too hard about Rayne's comments, especially when they make reference to me."

In the battle, Rayne dodged yet another volley of kunai, this time getting scathed across the back. She gritted as the cool metal dug into her skin and summoned forth streams of blood from between the fleshy fissures. As a stray kunai caught her calf, she fell awkwardly and crashed into the ground, right leg immobile and body completely open to attack. She heard the air slicing as more kunai sped her way and rolled onto her side, raising her hand to send a jet of 'Fira' at the weapons.

Another flame joined her and the joined efforts stopped and melted the daggers completely. Rayne looked to her right, "Thanks, Lu!"

Lulu nodded, then shouted out another 'Fira' attack and aimed it at the aeon. Just as it was about to connect, a dog leapt out of nowhere and took the brunt of the attack, then shook its huge head and barked.

Rayne groaned and stood back on her feet. "Where in the hell did Fido come from?!"

The dog heard this and didn't seem to appreciate it too much, because it growled and shot towards Rayne, mouth open and teeth poised. Rayne stood her ground and held her staff in front of herself, but just as the dog was about engage her it stopped and turned around.

Yojimbo motioned silently to the dog, which growled and leapt away, disappearing into the shadows. Lulu, Wakka and Rayne looked between the ronin aeon and the area the dog disappeared into, Wakka confusedly asking, "What was that about?"

They understood when there was the loud sound of a sword being drawn, and they turned back to Yojimbo just in time to take a full attack from his wakazashi head on. Wakka and Lulu fell to the ground, Rayne burying her staff into the ground and using it as her only support.

She ground her teeth in pain from the various wounds opened all over her body, then glared at Yojimbo, aware of the red haze that was creeping into her vision. "Now you've really done it…" Her pain disappeared as the haze took over completely and she stood tall, gripping her staff so tightly her knuckles split and bled. She raised one finger and pointed it at the aeon. "Oblivion."

The aeon balked slightly, then raised one arm as he was surrounded and assaulted by black and shadows. When it was over, he shook his head and drew out more kunai, which he abruptly dropped when he was hit by a 'Pain'.

"What's the matter, Yojimbo?" Rayne cooed, "Can't take back a bit of the agony you dish out? What a pity."

If the aeon's eyes were visible, he probably would have been glaring at Rayne. But seeing his eyes wasn't necessary; his anger was simply radiating off of his very being.

Rayne ignored him, though, and turned to her two fallen companions, shaking her head. "Weak fools couldn't stand it, eh? Sad, but a relief. They would have just gotten in the way."

In a flash, Rayne was picked up by the neck and was staring wide eyed into the dark recesses of Yojimbo's mask. He brought her closer to his face, and she barely heard him breathe out in a cracked, decrepit voice, "Honor… your… allies." He then threw her into the wall.

Rayne scowled as she stood, taking her mussed braid and throwing it over her shoulder. "Honor, Yojimbo? Is this why you still serve a feral unsent? Honor? Hah, that's rich." She didn't even flinch as she was thrown against another wall.

The group watched with wide eyes as Rayne was thrown from wall to wall by the giant humanoid aeon, barely flinching and laughing each time. After about the eighth or ninth time, Yuna stepped forward and shouted, "Rayne! Stop it!!"

Rayne paused mid-taunt and looked back at Yuna, her eyes glazed and uncaring, "And tell me; why in my right mind should I follow the orders of an impulsive, overly selfless little girl? Truthfully, I find it pointless, tiring, and completely unacceptable for someone of my caliber to have to serve such a summoner."

"Rayne!" Auron shouted, glaring at her, "Control yourself!"

She just rolled her eyes derisively, then turned back to the battle to meet a backhand, face-to-hand. Yojimbo grabbed her, once again, by the throat before she could slam into another wall and brought her close to his face and croaked, "Show… them… respect."

Rayne put her feet on the aeon's chest and kicked off, launching herself off of him and into a wall where a jutting rock smacked her in the head. She crumpled to the ground, then abruptly pushed herself back onto her shaking feet, looking around with dilated eyes and pursed lips. She shook her head as she took note of the unconscious forms of Wakka and Lulu, pointing to both of them and muttering 'Life'.

When they stood up they both flashed red, and as the haze around Rayne dissipated she flashed red, as well. Lulu noticed this and shouted, "Wakka! Water! Rayne, use 'Thundara'!"

Wakka spun his ball, Lulu prepared her magic, and Rayne raised her staff before her and slammed the butt into the ground, the stone turning into a garnet and flashes of electricity crackling from the two Mages. "Come hither, my loyal servant."

A flashing yellow circle appeared before Rayne and a figure began to slowly emerge. The figure, a crackling humanoid female, jumped the rest of the way out of the circle, flipping backwards and landing in a flash of lightning. She turned to Rayne, who lifted and spun her staff, slamming it back into the ground and creating more flashes of electricity. The female humanoid grabbed one of the bolts and bent it, shaping it into a bow. She then lifted, aimed, and held the bow ready.

"Voltage Bolt!"

"Thundara Fury!" "Elemental Reels!"

The water charged ball sped ahead of the two 'Thundara' attacks, soaking the aeon just before they touched down and electrocuted Yojimbo. The aeon stumbled backwards, then bowed down on one knee and dissolved in pyreflies.

As Yuna stepped forward and began to wave her staff, Lulu sighed. "Strange. I thought I would be sadder, somehow. Maybe I've gotten… used to farewells." She reached up and wiped her eyes.

Wakka stepped up beside her, watching as the unsent summoner was sent. "You're stronger now."

Lulu glanced at him, smiling slightly. "Wakka… I hope you're right." When Yuna turned back to the group, Lulu faced her and nodded towards the teleport platform that was where Ginnem had been. "Yuna. The fayth is inside. Go do what you came to do."

Yuna nodded and stepped onto the platform, Tidus stepping on right after her and warping with her.

Rayne groaned and leaned against one of the rocky walls. "I hate this part." She then thought for a moment, then bit her lip and turned to the others, "Umm, sorry for anything I may have said while I was… insane."

Lulu shook her head and chuckled, "We all know you didn't mean it. Don't worry." They went back to waiting in silence.

Not long after the two teens had entered the Chamber, the whole cave shook by the force of a booming voice from inside which, though unintelligible, conveyed the highest form of anger and disgust. The group stared at the general area of the Chamber in shock and worry, leaping to their feet when the platform flashed and Tidus and Yuna stumbled off of it.

Rayne and Wakka ran forward, the former grabbing the summoner by the shoulders and the latter grabbing the dazed swordsman by the arms. Rayne looked between the two dazed teens. "What happened?"

Yuna shook her head, then looked at Rayne with wide, despairing eyes. "He… he refused to join me!"

"WHAT?!"

Tidus nodded, "Yeah. He made us do some sort of weird bidding thing, and we had no clue what to do! So, we gave a price and he got angry and kicked us out!"

Wakka's jaw dropped and he shook his head, "You're kidding!"

Yuna stood straight and collected herself. "If… if he feels that I am not worthy, then we shall not press him further. Let's go."

Rayne surprised everyone by laughing. "As if! Come on, Yuna."

Yuna tried vainly to stop Rayne as she drug them onto the platform. "Rayne, if the fayth find me unworthy of Yojimbo, then I shouldn't push the matter…"

"I think not." Rayne activated the teleport and warped them into the room, storming towards the statue. "If it's a gambling game he wants, then he'll get one. Now, summon him, if you will."

Yuna sighed, then kneeled before the statue and prayed. After a moment, the room shuddered and a phantom appeared over the statue. "I am the blade of…" The warrior rolled his eyes and sighed angrily when he saw Yuna. "Back again, I see. Well, what?"

At this point, Rayne stepped up beside Yuna and crossed her arms. "Teasing teenagers, are we, Yojimbo?"

The fayth looked at her and scowled, "This does not concern you, Guardian. Step back."

"Oh, if it involves my summoner, it does concern me. Now, what are your demands?"

"It depends. What do you desire me for?"

Yuna stepped forward, "To defeat the most powerful of enemies."

"Ah, yes. Of course." Yojimbo nodded, smirking sarcastically, "I do believe I remember you saying something to that effect just… what was it? Two minutes ago?"

Rayne growled, "What are your terms, Yojimbo?"

The aeon sighed, "I require payment for my services. What are you willing to spend? My price begins at 250,000 Gil."

Rayne frowned, "That high, huh? Fine. I say 125,001 Gil."

Yojimbo blinked. "I see…" He paused. "225,000Gil."

Rayne smirked. "112,501."

Yojimbo scowled, "202,500. That is my final offer."

Rayne smiled and nodded. "I'll take your word for it. Fine. We'll make our final offer 209,500. Agreed?"

The aeon nodded jerkily. "It is… adequate."

Rayne took one of the pouches off of her mesh and threw it onto the statue, staring down at all of the other pouches and loose Gil. "What does an aeon need with all of that money, anyway?"

"Don't push your luck." He turned to Yuna. "I shall serve you from now on, but I shall still require payment whenever you wish me to attack. Is that clear?"

Yuna nodded and turned back to the platform, walking briskly over to it. She turned and frowned at Rayne, who had not moved. "Aren't you coming?"

Rayne nodded and waved Yuna off. "In a moment. There's something I need to check."

Yuna nodded and activated the teleport, warping out of the room. When she was gone, Yojimbo looked at Rayne skeptically. "Why are you still here?"

Rayne took out the pendant that Belgamine had given her and held it up by the silver chain. "Do you know what this is?"

The aeon frowned, then narrowed his eyes to look at it closer without actually moving. He was silent for a moment, sighing angrily and closing his eyes when he was done with his inspection. "So, you were given one of those, huh? Hmm, guess I have no choice then."

Rayne blinked and raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"

Instead of answering her, though, Yojimbo raised his hand and pointed to the pendant, a symbol forming at the tip of his finger. The pendant glowed and shot a silver beam to the center of the symbol, making it glow lapis lazuli for a moment before it faded. Yojimbo dropped his hand and sighed, suddenly seeming very tired. "Go. I have… done my part. If you get the time, head to the other temples and get their marks, as well. Go, now." He then faded.

Rayne stared at where he had been for a moment, then looked at the back of the pendant, staring at the new symbol that was embossed on the back at roughly the eight o'clock area. She then shook her head and stepped onto the teleport pad, flashing back with a look of confusion and vague dissatisfaction on her face.

"What happened, Lady Rayne?"

She just shook her head and sighed, "Something I have a feeling I will never truly understand, Wakka." She then shuddered and looked around. "Can we go? This place gives me the goose pimples."

Yuna nodded, addressing her group, "Right. Let's move on."


	41. The Sacred Mount Gagazet

The two songs featured in this chapter, "Get Off Of My Back" and "Sound The Bugle", respectively, do not belong to me

If anyone is starting to get the connection I am making here, bravo for you, but please do not message me about it or put it in the reviews, if only for the sake of others who don't quite get it. I'd like everyone to have a fair chance and not have it spoiled. Thank you for your patronage. (Sorry if this came off as bitchy, but it really isn't. I just… don't always come off as the nicest of people.)

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(The Sacred Mount Gagazet)

Rayne glanced at Rikku, who was looking particularly jittery and kept whimpering every now and then. It didn't take much thought to figure that the Al Bhed girl was nervous about the ever approaching Zanarkand, and Rayne remembered with a stab to her heart that the ancient city was just over the mountain. 'So… we've finally reached the home stretch.'

The group emerged from the tunnel, none of them sparing a passing glance at the pillars around them. Rayne frowned inwardly, 'Ronso territory… I wonder if word has reached them from Kelk.' She didn't have to wait long for her question to be answered for, when they reached the plateau of their climb, Biran Ronso jumped down from a cliff and landed before them.

Kelk walked up behind the warrior Ronso, Yenke following behind him. The maester frowned and called out, "Summoner Yuna and guardians, leave here at once!" Rayne looked around and braced herself as more Ronso surrounded them. Kelk continued. "Gagazet is Ronso land, sacred mountain of Yevon. The mountain will not bear the footsteps of infidels!"

Many of the Ronso growled in agreement, Biran taking a step forward and saying, "Enemy of Yevon is enemy of Ronso! Leave, traitors!"

Yuna held her position and let her voice ring out clear so all Ronso could hear. "I have cast aside Yevon! I follow the temple no more!"

Kelk clenched his fists, "Then you will die by those words."

"So be it." Yuna nodded. "Yevon has warped the teachings and betrayed us all!"

Wakka nodded and shouted, "Nothing but a bunch of lowdown tricksters, eh?"

"Yeah! Yeah!" Tidus chimed in.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Rikku joined.

Yuna, still staring at the maester, smiled at her friend's words, "We have no regrets."

Biran and Yenke growled, the latter shouting, "Blasphemers!"

Kimahri ran forward and stopped in front of Biran, glaring up at him. Biran bristled and glared back down, growling at the smaller Ronso.

There was a moment of silence, broken as Kelk shook his head and murmured, "A summoner and her guardians…"

"Lord Kelk Ronso, if I may," Lulu nodded respectfully, "Have you not also turned your back on Bevelle?"

"But still, you guard Gagazet as a Ronso, not a maester." Auron continued, "Yuna is much the same."

Rayne crossed her arms and added, "You can't deny that, taking what you heard in Bevelle into account, that there is something wrong, otherwise you never would have left."

Biran stared at all of them in confusion, then shook his head and grumbled, "Elder Kelk! Let Biran rend them asunder!"

"No escape!" Yenke yelled, running up beside Biran and glaring at the group, "Not one!"

Yuna took a step forward and addressed the two Ronso, "No, we will not flee. We will fight, and continue on." The group took this as a signal and laid their hands on their weapons, ready to draw them.

The elder Ronso stared at each of them in turn, his gaze finally resting on Yuna with confusion on his face, "You have been branded a traitor, but you would fight Sin? Lost to the temple, hated by the people, yet you continue your pilgrimage? Everything lost! What do you fight for?"

Yuna didn't have to think long before she smiled and answered, "I fight for Spira." She let that stand a moment, then continued. "The people long for the Calm. I can give it to them. It's all I can give. Defeating Sin, ending pain… this I can do."

Kelk stared at her, then shook his head. "Even sacrificing yourself?" He turned and took a few steps towards Gagazet, then stopped and shouted. "Ronso, let them pass!" He then turned back. "Summoner Yuna, your will is stronger than steel. Tempered steel that even the mightiest Ronso could not hope to bend. Yuna, we bow to your will! Now go! The sacred heights of Gagazet welcome you." He raised his arms and spread them, the peak of Gagazet rising between them.

Yuna blinked, then smiled widely and bowed, "We thank you." She then turned to her group. "Let's take a quick break before we continue on our way. It's a long walk."

Rayne immediately walked away from the others and headed a bit up the path, taking out her Grid and silently working on it.

"Something wrong?"

Rayne looked up at Auron, then looked back at her Grid. She waited until he had walked a bit closer to grumble, "Kimahri's great and all, but I'm not a big fan of the Ronso."

"Really? Why?"

She shrugged, not looking up at him. "Dunno. Just not." She paused, then looked up at him. "Hey, you know Zanarkand's just around the corner."

Auron nodded, "Yeah. Why?"

"Have you been thinking about the answers to my questions? And have you thought about what you're going to tell me about what you know?"

Auron stared at her, then sighed and looked away. He closed his eyes. "There are… things I need to tell you, and I'm not sure of how to tell them. Some of them… I don't even want to tell you."

Rayne narrowed her eyes, "I'm not quitting. I will go to Zanarkand. You can't leave me behind this time."

Auron sighed, "I know." He paused, then looked at her, "When we get there, I will tell you. I'll tell you everything."

Rayne smiled, "Good." After a brief moment of silence, she took a step towards him and pulled his cowl down, kissing him lightly on the lips. "Until Zanarkand, then." She walked back to the group, leaving Auron in stunned silence.



Auron punched the rock wall and growled, "Why?! Why did this have to happen?! I've been so… irresponsible."

"_It ain't your fault, Auron. You've both been attracted to each other since the beginning, so it was kinda impossible to avoid somethin' happening."_

"Still," Auron sighed, "I knew, even before I saw her again, that it wouldn't work. Not when I'm already…"

"_Technicalities, Auron! You still have 'til Zanarkand, so make your time count!"_

Auron scoffed, "If you haven't noticed, Jecht, Zanarkand is just around the corner."

"_Then ya'd better get to romancin', huh?" Jecht laughed._

Auron blushed and growled.

"_Hey, hey, hey! It ain't __my__ fault that you waited until just a few nights ago to make your move! Jeez, and with you two sleeping in the same room so often, I figured somethin' would have happened sooner! But nooo! You two had to stick to the cardinal rule of 'abstinence'! …Not that abstinence is a bad thing, but come on! You wanted to marry the woman! And, hey guess what, she would have said yes! Jeez, Auron, how much more leeway do you need?!"_

Auron groaned and sighed, "Do not mistake me for you, Jecht!"

"_Heh, no wonder you're an only child! You old man probably moved at a turtles pace like you did! He and your mom were probably both in their eighties by the time he proposed!"_

"You're pushing it, Jecht." Auron grumbled.

"_Whatever, Auron. Listen, at the very least, propose to the girl."_

Auron blinked, then shook his head. "Absolutely not."

"_WHY THE HELL NOT?! Come __on__, Auron! The girl waited for you for __ten__years__! And, even when you rejected her in Djose, she still stuck to you! That girl is hopelessly devoted to you! You owe her __something_

"I will not make a decision like that because I 'owe' her! That is a jackasses approach to it!"

"_Then let me put it to you this way: Do you love her?"_

Auron balked, then put on a blank face. "…Yes."

"_Good. Step one: Admittance. Now, step two: Plan. You plan on staying in the human world after the pilgrimage is over?"_

Auron sighed, "No. I plan to cross over…"

"_Alright. Step two complete. Now, step three: Analyze. You do realize that, by planning to cross over, you will leave her with nothing, right?"_

"I am, and I hate myself for it." Auron shook his head.

"'_Course you do. Step four: Compensation. You want to leave her something, right? Something tangible. Well, why not a wedding ring? You love her, she loves you, you're gonna leave her, so leave her with something!"_

Auron sighed, "Even if I were going to propose and give her a ring, where am I going to find one on Gagazet?"

"_I dunno if you noticed, Auron, but some of those summoner rings that are intended to be for Yuna are actually pretty nice lookin'."_

Auron deadpanned. "A summoner's ring? You want me to give her a ring that is intended to be an armor? She can't even approach them without being attacked, much less put one on!"

_Jecht groaned, "Then get creative or something! Come on, Auron, you can't propose without something tangible to seal the deal!"_

"And when did I say I was proposing?"

"_You will, Auron, or I'll hunt you down and kill you."_

"HEY! AURON! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Auron sighed in relief, "That's your son. Looks like I have to go. Later, Jecht."

"_WE AREN'T DONE HERE, AURON! YOU WILL PROPOSE!"_



Tidus looked at Auron with a raised brow as the older guardian walked over, looking a little disheveled. "What happened to you?"

Auron shook his head and growled. "I don't want to talk about it."

The young swordsman shrugged, "Whatever."

Auron glared at him. "Was there something you wanted?"

"Eh?" Tidus scratched the back of his head. "Well… kinda. What do we have to look out for up on the mountain. I have to buy armor."

The older guardian blinked, then looked up at Gagazet. "Fire and thunder, if I remember correctly."

"Thanks, chief." Tidus saluted and ran off to talk to the Ronso merchant.

Auron sighed and walked away from the group, leaning against the rock wall and watching everyone carefully while trying to be inconspicuous. But, as we all know, this is impossible, because Auron is Auron and Auron stands out like a… red spot of paint on a white wall. (ha! bet you thought I was gonna say 'sore thumb', huh?)

Anyway… after trying to be inconspicuous for only two minutes, Auron had managed to attract quite a bit of attention to himself. Rayne saw him fidgeting under the discreet stares of everyone in the clearing, so she walked over to him and stood in front of him.

Neither of them said anything, but the way they were standing led the starers to believe that they were engaged in some form of communication, so they quit staring. Auron sighed when he felt everyone look away. "Thank you."

Rayne shrugged, "You're welcome. Just remember; ninja, you are not. So, if you want to be subtle, don't stand apart from everyone else in a big red coat… people might mistake you for Santa Claus."

Auron stared at her with a quirked brow, "'Santa Claus'."

She looked up and smirked innocently, "Big fat guy who goes around giving out presents. Distinguished by his red suit and white beard."

She risked a glance back at him and laughed at his stunned face. Auron shook his head and scowled, "You and your world's odd customs…"

Rayne laughed again and turned back to the clearing, seeing the group gathering at the entrance to the mountain. "Looks like we're leaving. Ready?"

Auron grunted and stood, "Let's go."

When everyone had gathered at the beginning of the path, Yuna nodded and began to walk, Tidus following close behind her.

Rayne chuckled quietly and shook her head, 'Those two… they look so happy together.' She unknowingly smiled wistfully at them, 'I'd… give almost anything for them to be able to be together when all of this is over. If only…'

"HALT!"

Rayne shook her head and balked, blinking rapidly at Biran, who appeared out of nowhere.

Tidus groaned, "Haven't you bothered us enough?"

Biran ignored this and stalked towards them, Yenke following. Biran taunted, "Summoner may pass. Guardians may pass. Kimahri… not pass!" Biran stomped his foot and glared down at Kimahri, "Kimahri shame Ronso brothers. Kimahri forget his birth!"

Yenke walked up beside Biran and continued, "Forget his people, forget his mountain. Little Ronso! Weakling Ronso!"

Biran roared and waved his hand in a slashing motion, "Mountain hate the weak, hate the small. If you will climb…"

Kimahri jumped forward, pulling out his lance, a feral gleam in his eyes. "Then I must prove my strength!"

Biran tilted his head and chastised, "Think you will win? You not forgot who took your horn! Never forget!"

"Kimahri never beat brother Biran. Never win!"

Kimahri growled at Yenke's comment, "This time, I will win. I will win!"

Tidus, who had progressively got more and more ticked at the argument, took out Brotherhood and growled, "Why you…" He stopped when Kimahri held out his arm. "This some kind of Ronso thing?"

Rayne grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, "This is everything a Ronso thing."

Kimahri nodded, "Kimahri problem." He then ran forward and held his lance at ready, ignoring the insults of Biran and Yenke Ronso.

"Biran rend you asunder!"

"Hornless! Hornless!"

Kimahri growled and began to attack and Rayne was immediately glad that the group had switched around their Sphere Grids. Kimahri quickly discovered that Biran and Yenke would cover each other whenever they were standing together, so instead of attacking he used the time to 'Lancet' them into teaching him several new overdrives.

When Yenke lowered himself and braced his feet, Kimahri barely had time to throw up his arm before he was bulldozed into by the stocky Ronso. Kimahri went down onto one knee and the other two Ronso mistook this for his guard weakening.

"Poor little Ronso. Did Yenke hurt Kimahri?"

The two Ronso shared a laugh, which was quickly quelled when Kimahri, using his wound up legs like springs, shot forward and rammed Yenke, plowing the Ronso into the snow with the force of his momentum. Roaring, Kimahri then spun around and swung his lance above him. "Ronso Rage! Jump!"

Using his lance as a lever, Kimahri pole-vaulted into the air and sailed across the path, landing on Biran heavily. Biran howled as his armguard shattered and the blade of the lance dug into his flesh.

Yenke stood and snarled at the sight of his fallen comrade. He lowered himself again and charged, not stopping as Kimahri spun to meet him. Just as Kimahri raised his lance to meet the enraged Yenke, Biran reached out with his good hand and grabbed Kimahri's ankle, pulling hard and yanking him to the ground.

Kimahri lashed out with his other foot and kicked Biran's hand away, then rolled out of the way of the rampaging Yenke's path. Yenke, unable to stop himself, skidded and crashed into Biran as the Ronso was attempting to stand.

Kimahri faced both of them and shouted, "Ronso Rage! Fire Breath!" He then shot a barrage of fireballs from his mouth at the two, pummeling them into the ground. Kimahri roared loudly, "BLIZZARA!" and stuck out his hand, summoning a large icicle to it. He ran forward and pulled to a shrieking stop over the two Ronso, pointing his spear at Biran's throat and the icicle at Yenke's temple.

There was silence and the three Ronso stare at each other. Kimahri then threw the icicle to the side and backed away from the fallen Ronso, standing tall and proud.

Biran and Yenke moved away from each other and tried to stand, Biran only getting to his knee and Yenke falling back to the ground and clutching his side.

Biran looked at Kimahri with unreadable eyes, then said slowly, "Strong is Kimahri. Biran is happy." Wincing, the Ronso pulled himself to his feet and limped back up the path, shouting up at the mountain, "Sacred Mount Gagazet! I honor the name of the strong warrior who defeats Biran! Remember always, Gagazet! That name is Kimahri!!"

Yenke stood and nodded to the group. "Mountain knows Kimahri strong. Kimahri may pass."

Biran turned back to the party and addressed Yuna. "Summoner! We Ronso will stop pursuers from temple."

Yuna smiled and clasped her hands under her chin, "Truly?"

Biran nodded, "Penance for breaking Kimahri's horn, long ago."

Yenke raised his hand and clenched it, "We crush enemies following behind."

Kimahri took a step forward, "Kimahri crush enemies standing before."

Biran nodded to Kimahri, then addressed Yuna again, "You are most fortunate summmoner."

Yuna smiled and bowed, "I thank you."

Yenke said, "Ronso will shine your statue brightest."

"Thank you." Yuna bowed again, then straightened with a bitter smile, "But I fear that no one will make a statue for a traitor such as I am."

"Then Ronso will make!" Biran declared.

Yenke nodded and added, "With grand horn on head!"

Yuna blinked, then smiled widely, "That… would be wonderful."

Rayne shook her head, imagining what Yuna would be thinking, 'That would be… a rather humorous statue to see… as well as an honorable one.'

The group walked passed the Ronso and continued up the path, feeling relieved when they saw the road to the mountain and away from the odd Ronso.

"Summoner Yuna!"

Rayne and Tidus groaned together, Tidus whining, "WHAT is it THIS time?!"

Biran and Yenke walk up on either side of the group, both of them nodding to each other. Suspicious, Rayne reached over her shoulder and grabbed her staff, only to freeze when both Ronso began to sing the Hymn.

"Ieyui…

Nobomenu…

Renmiri…

Yojuyogo…

Hasatekanae…

Kutamae..."

Rayne's hand dropped and she closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax as the Ronso choir stepped forward and began to sing, followed by all of the Ronso. Their thick, growling voices echoed through the canyon and reverberated off of the mountain, giving the scene an old, even ancient feel. Rayne listened to the mountain and relaxed so much her mind drifted from her body.

But, when it did, something happened.

Rayne heard a screech echo from the mountain and gradually become louder, quickly deafening her senses of all other noise. She wanted to slam her hands to her ears, but her body wouldn't obey. Just as she felt a scream ripping at her throat, her vision flashed white and the screeching dulled to static. From the white, a faded picture emerged.

Ω

_A woman in ceremonial robes standing before a fill-length mirror. She smiled as hands pulled her hair over her shoulders and began to do them in an intricate knot. She said something, but her words were not heard by Rayne._

_The woman then stepped away from the mirror and turned towards a door, where a man strode in. The woman ran to the man, who smiled widely and swept her into his arms. The person who had been working on the woman's hair turned back to the mirror, where Rayne saw their reflection. It couldn't be!—_

Ω

"-yne? Rayne?! RAYNE!"

Rayne's eyes snapped open and she looked around. Rikku had grabbed her shoulders and apparently had been shaking her while the others gathered around and looked on in worry. Rikku shook Rayne again and cried when the older guardian turned to her, "What's wrong?"

Rayne blinked, then smiled widely, "Nothing at all, Rikku. Well, then, shall we begin our trek up the mountain?" She walked passed the Al Bhed girl and began to lead the party up the mountain. While she walked, she tried to remember the face and name of the person whose reflection she had seen. But, as the wind picked up and blew the snow around her, the memory faded and blew away.


	42. At The Top of Gagazet

The two songs featured in this chapter, "Get Off Of My Back" and "Sound The Bugle", respectively, do not belong to me

I know, I know, Rayne has had, like, the same weapon this whole time, but she's probably not going to change it. Anaxagoras is… let's say… an old friend she is not about to part with. You will understand soon enough…

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(At The Top of Gagazet)

"Rayne! Look out!"

Rayne shook her head and spun around, throwing out her staff and slicing the dog-fiend that had crept up on her in half. This triggered another battle sequence which, with difficulty, the group fought and won. When it was over, they turned to look at Rayne again, worrying when they found her zoning out.

"Rayne!"

Rayne blinked and looked at Auron, who frowned at the glazed look in her eye. He shook his head and snapped, "Pull yourself together! This is not the time to be slacking off."

Rayne nodded slowly, "Yes, Auron." But as she turned and continued up the path, they all saw her eyelids droop, and she began to stagger as she walked.

"Is it just me," Lulu began slowly, "Or has anyone else noticed a slight… change in her since Bevelle?"

Tidus crossed his arms and frowned, "Farplane Sickness?"

Wakka shrugged, "We aren't anywhere near the Farplane, though…"

When no one answered, Yuna stepped forward, "Several times, I have seen her staring off into nothing with a glaze in her eyes. I, too, thought of the Farplane Sickness…"

Rikku nodded, "Yeah, yeah, me too! She was kinda like bleh…" Rikku dropped her arms to her sides and stuck her tongue out, drooping her eyelids in an exaggerated fashion.

Auron grunted and sighed, shaking his head, "If there is something wrong, talking about it here won't do us any good. We'll ask her later, but for now let's move on."

A bit later, they arrived at a sad sight. It was a large black boulder with various weapons lying around it. They stopped and Yuna bowed. Lulu spoke, "These mark the graves of summoners and guardians who have failed." They paid their respects and moved on.

Several battles later they arrived at another gravesite. Yuna bowed again and Lulu narrated again, "Summoners that die up here… aren't sent to the Farplane."

Tidus regarded the graves grimly, "Why not?"

Lulu shrugged, "Who would send them? They die alone."

Tidus thought about it, then looked at the Black Mage with wide eyes, "So… that means…"

Lulu nodded, "Many have become fiends, and they may want Yuna's company."

"Well, Yuna will be fine."

Lulu laughed, "You are right."

Rayne frowned and regarded them with tired, cynical eyes. 'Who are they trying to kid? Have they… any idea how many other guardians have made the same promise? And, in the end, most of them ended up dead.' She turned to the graves and scowled, 'Lucky bastards.'

The further up they went, the more infrequent and difficult the battles became. When they stopped again, it was at yet another grave.

Lulu shook her head as the group rested, "All this way, only to fail. It must have been tough."

Rayne scoffed and continued up the trail, "You have no idea." 'Hell, do I even? Why does this trek feel so… familiar? This is all confusing.'

A bit further up the trail, Rayne and Tidus caught sight of a familiar face and ran towards it. "O'aka!"

They pulled to a stop, though, when they saw that it wasn't the merchant. Tidus crossed his arms and frowned, "Who're you?"

The man shook his head, "First things first: Are you Lady Yuna's summoning party?"

Rayne and Tidus exchanged glances, then looked back at the man, Rayne asking, "Who wants to know?"

The man bowed, "I'll take that as a yes. I'm Wantz, brother to O'aka."

Rayne blinked, "You're kidding…"

Wantz grinned and shook his head, "Nope. I take it you're the Lady Rayne?"

Rayne nodded and Wantz took her hand and shook it heartily, "Thankee for helping my brother out when ya did, it was much appreciated."

Rayne nodded again and smiled, then frowned, "Where's O'aka, Wantz?"

Wantz shook his head, "He was arrested for voicing his support for the Summoner Yuna."

Yuna gasped, "No…"

Wantz shook his head again and smiled, "No worries, though! Me brother is a tough one. O'aka spoke with me before they took him away and said to me to come and help you by selling his wares! Figured we'd be close to the only ones left who'd be supporting you."

Tidus laughed bitterly, "Got that right."

Wantz shrugged, "Well, better get down to business, eh?" He gestured to a pile of boxes behind him and said, "Welcome to O'aka's!"

While the party picked out their items, Wantz pulled Rayne aside. "Me brother told me that you requested he do a special search for a name for your staff, yes?"

Rayne nodded, "That's right. The four elemental strike staff."

"Well, he found out a few things and told them to me, so here's everything in a nutshell:

"There have been several four element staffs made throughout the years, the first and most powerful being made right in old Zanarkand, itself. Staff wielders were most popular a thousand years ago, and since then their numbers have dwindled, leaving only a few of their weapons left. Because of this, the few weapons are very powerful and very distinctive. O'aka looked for the name of the staff that went with the description of yours and found one. Your staff is called the 'Anaxagoras'." Wantz nodded. "Apparently, if yours is the original, because few remakes have been made of that particular staff, then it would be an original from the time of Zanarkand, itself!"

Rayne took out her staff and stared at it. "Anaxagoras?"

The garnet flashed and changed back into a ruby, the original jewel it had been when she had originally received the staff from Kala ten years ago.

The ruby glowed softly and Rayne smiled. "Anaxagoras. It is good to finally meet you." She then looked back up at the merchant's brother. "Thank you. Here is the rest of the payment." Rayne untied one of her many pouches and handed it to Wantz, who bowed.

"Thank you, Lady."

When they had finished shopping, they continued up the path, Rayne stopping to wave to Wantz. Wantz waved back. "Good luck!"

After walking for a bit, the group noticed that the stagger had returned to Rayne's step and decided it was time to ask.

"Rayne?"

Rayne stopped and let Yuna catch up with her, "What's up?"

The guardian could feel her fellows listening closely as the summoner asked, "What happened… in Bevelle?"

Rayne scowled and shrugged, "Like I said, I was sent to the Court of St. Helemine."

She heard gasps from those who knew what the Court was, and Lulu ran up beside her, "How did you get placed in that Court?!"

Rayne shrugged, thinking back, "I think it was on Mika's suggestion…"

"How did they convince you to stay? Surely you must have fought."

The guardian paused, then walked ahead of the others, her voice carrying on the wind. "They took special measures to… convince me."

While most of the group felt it wasn't their place to question further, Auron sped up and asked in a demanding tone, "And how was that?"

Rayne stopped, the rest of the party stopping behind her. She was still for a moment, then turned around and looked at everyone with sad eyes. "Am I… under suspicion for something?"

The party wouldn't meet her eyes and Auron cleared his throat.

She blinked and looked at each of them, then laughed and lowered her head. "They… brainwashed me." They looked at her and she looked to the snow bank to her left. "They, being Seymour and Mika,… along with several other unsent… used their pyreflies to invoke my Farplane Sickness. And then…" She shook her head and brought her palm to her forehead, "I… can't remember what came next, but the days after that were filled with debates in the Court."

After a moment of silence, Tidus asked, "So… they weakened you, then did something to make you think you were a Yevonite?"

Rayne lowered her hand and nodded, "Yeah. That's about the sum of things." There was another moment of silence, which Rayne broke by turning and shouting, "Well, let's move on, shall we? I am freezing."

They soon came across a save point, at which Rayne made them stop and update their Grids. 'Something's coming. The air feels… odd. Something is coming.'

As she touched the save point, a feeling of vertigo overtook her and she fell into white.



_Well, here she was…_

_Drifting… again…_

_Dang it!…_

_Who is she supposed to be talking to?!…_

"Remember, guardian, patience is a virtue."

_And ambiguity is a vice…_

_Yojimbo…_

"Ha, got me there, didn't you?"

_Whatever…_

_What do you want?…_

"Nothing. I'm just here to keep an eye on you. What about you, what do you want?"

…_To see my brother…_

"Just your brother?"

_And everyone in the room where the game is…_

"Thine will be done."

The white faded and was replaced with a scene. Rayne saw her brother and Sebastian sitting on the sofa while Heather played the game.

_So…_

_They really did let her play…_

"Correct. And, she's surprisingly good at it."

_I noticed…_

_Hey, Yojimbo?…_

"Hmm?"

_Is there a way for me to…_

_Leave a sphere for them?…_

"What kind of sphere?"

_I… I already have a feeling that I… won't be going home…_

_So, I want to leave them a final message…_

_A will of sorts…_

"…Of course. It can be left as an unlockable option in Luca. Would you like to make it now?"

_No… I need to compose my thoughts…_

_If you aren't with me next time, could you tell the others…_

"I'll pass on the message. Bahamut will set it up and whoever's turn it is will be prepared.

_Thank you…_

_Hey… am I waking up?…_

"You can feel it, can you? Yes, you are."

_Alright…_

_Thank you, again…_

"Of course. Good luck."

_Bye…_



Rayne opened her eyes and faced the winter. She heard someone mention Sin acting up, then turned away from the save point and continued on her path. She was sure, now. A battle was approaching. "You'd better be ready, Heather."



Heather paused the game and dropped the remote, staring at the TV screen. Michael stood and walked up behind her, stopping when she didn't turn to face him. Heather heard him approach and stop, but stayed facing the screen. "So… you think she's your sister?"

Michael looked at the screen, then back at his girlfriend. "Yes, Heath. I do." He paused, then hesitantly asked, "Do you… believe me?"

She stared at the screen a bit longer, then stood and faced him, her eyes unreadable. "This is what you were trying to tell me the other day, huh? When you were talking about me not believing you?"

Michael nodded, unable to talk.

She stared at him a moment longer, then smiled. "I believe you."

The two boys sighed and stared at her. Michael shook his head, "What?"

Heather nodded and smiled a bit wider, "I believe that you believe she is your sister. I… still have my reserves, but I myself am starting to believe. I support you Michael, and I'll help you through this."

Michael stared at her a moment longer, then slowly walked over to her and pulled her into a hug, "I definitely don't deserve you."

Heather hugged him back, "But you're the only one I want."

"Alright, you can either get a room and I'll keep playing on my own, or you can drop the lovey-dovey crap and we'll all play together." Sebastian rolled his eyes as the couple hesitantly separated. "Jeez, ya walking sacs of hormones."

Michael and Heather laughed, both of them plopping down in front of the TV. Heather picked up the remote and handed it to her boyfriend. "I have a feeling that you're going to want to play the part that's coming up."

Michael looked at her and accepted the remote, "How can you tell?"

She shrugged and pointed to the screen, "There's a save point. They usually have those right before major battles and plot scenes, right?"

Michael looked at the screen and thought about it, then nodded, "Yeah, I guess they do, don't they?"

Sebastian thought about it, too, then gapped, "Dude, they really do, don't they?!"

Heather shook her head and sighed, "Honestly, how did the characters survive for so long with you two playing?"



Rayne felt a jolt and looked at the sky. 'Michael's playing again, I see… I wonder if they figured out something is going to happen.'

They walked through a natural archway and onto a ledge. Rayne looked around and analyzed everything. 'So, this is our battlefield?'

When nothing happened as they walked across, Rayne continued to walk, vaguely surprised and suspicious. When she noticed Tidus and Rikku were gone, her suspicions increased. When she heard Rikku screaming, her suspicions were confirmed.

The party turned and looked at the screaming Al Bhed girl, who stopped screaming and shouted instead, pointing back the way they had come. "Auron, Seymour! He's back! Tidus!"

As soon as she had shouted 'Seymour', Rayne and Auron whipped out their weapons and ran back. As they rounded the corner they heard Tidus shout, "Not if I can help it!"

"Save some for Kimahri!" The Ronso ran ahead and spun his lance, pointing it at the half-Guado standing at the edge of the cliff.

Seymour smiled eerily and looked right at Yuna, "Lady Yuna, it is a pleasure."


	43. Battle Against Seymour Flux and The Peak

Alright, so I know that at times Rayne is, like, almost irrationally powerful and that it is irresponsible of me to portray her as so, but there is a reason for it. Right now, she's still unstable with her powers because they have yet to be balanced, and when they do she'll mellow out… That's not the whole reason, but that is a piece of it. You will understand more later…

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Battle Against Seymour Flux and The Peak)

Rayne growled and waved her staff, shouting at the laughing half-Guado, "Enough!"

Lulu shouted, "Yuna!"

Yuna stepped up beside Rayne and began to spin her stave.

Seymour pouted and cocked his head, "A sending, so soon? Then please, allow me to say something to the last Ronso before I leave." He giggled in a high pitched manner, then continued, laugher still in his oily voice, "Yours was… truly a gallant race. They threw themselves at me to bar my path. One," He raised his arm, "After another." He slashed his hand down violently, giggling again.

Kimahri balked and shook his head, "No…"

Yuna looked at him, her eyes mortified, "Kimahri…"

"You could end the suffering of this poor Ronso, you know. You could—"

Rayne cut him off by slashing her staff at him again, "Silence!"

Yuna shook her head and desperately shouted, "I don't understand you!"

Seymour shook his head, "Don't you see? Allow Kimahri to die, and release him from his pain." He turned and looked outwards from the cliff. "Spira… is a land of suffering and sorrow, caught in a spiral of death. To destroy –to heal– Spira, I will become Sin. Yes, with your help." He turned back and held out his hand to the confused Yuna, "Come with me, Yuna." When Tidus jumped in front of Yuna, Seymour shook his head. "Once I have become the next Sin, your father will be freed again."

Rayne gasped and Tidus hung his head. The teen then threw his head back and shouted, "What do you know?!" He then ran forward and lashed out with his sword.

Seymour jumped out of the path of the blade and off of the cliff, rising into the air as a huge device descended from behind him. "Pitiful mortal. Your hope ends here!" Seymour and the device merged, a jousting lance forming in Seymour's hands. "AND YOUR MEANINGLESS EXISTANCE WITH IT!"

Rayne ran forward and grabbed Tidus's shoulder, throwing the boy aside as Seymour's lance struck the ground where the swordsman had been. Rayne then lifted her arm and shouted, "Scan!"

Time froze and a screen appeared before Rayne, showing her all of Seymour's stats and bio. She ignored the bio and scanned the rest of the information, frowning at what she found. She backed out of the screen and time resumed, Rayne shouting to the others, "He has no elemental or stat weaknesses, so pound him until he falls! Cover Yuna so she can use as many aeons as possible! Yuna!" Rayne dodged an attack and shouted while looking directly at the summoner, "Use the Grand Summon overdrive! Don't try to let the aeons charge themselves, he'll only 'Banish' them!"

The group nodded and spread themselves out, Yuna moving behind all of them. Seymour watched Rayne as she moved to stand at Yuna's forward right, "I offered you something wonderful, you know. A chance to live as you once lived." He threw a spell at her.

Rayne scowled and batted the spell aside with her staff, throwing two back at him, "I was never a Yevonite. I'm hardly of Spira."

"Oh?" Seymour Flux raised a brow and brushed aside the melee attackers, "Have you not noticed the evidence that points to the contrary? The echoes of your passed life here? Have you seen none of them?"

Rayne's scowl deepened and she waved her staff violently, "FIRAGA!!" The attack hit the unsent maester head on and Rayne spat, "You know nothing of what I have and have not seen, so quit trying to be omnipotent!"

Seymour just laughed and stabbed her with his lance, a thick ooze leaking from it and into Rayne's wound. He smirked eerily, "A gift." The half-Guado moved on to attack another party member.

Rayne growled and turned to attack him, but was hit with a sudden wave of nausea. She gasped and dropped to her knee, eyes falling to the wound on her arm. The wound was bright red and turning purple and the acid green ooze was eating away at the flesh around the wound. Rayne was just thinking about how she didn't like the looks of the wound when she was hit with another pang of nausea, this one so powerful it caused her to pitch forward into the snow.

Despite the cold snow she was laying in, Rayne suddenly felt very warm and light. The feeling was so welcoming, especially after hiking up Gagazet, and Rayne just couldn't stop herself from closing her eyes. As she drifted around in warm darkness she heard the echoes of voices and shadows, darker than the darkness around her, which flashed across her field of vision.

Then, the scream of a familiar voice cut through the shadows and the warmth, leaving Rayne in biting cold blackness. 'Yuna…' Yuna screamed again and Rayne became colder. Rayne began to struggle against the blackness, fighting to open her eyes. She felt her muscles strain against the cold and poison, then relax as she relented the attempt, her body searing with pain.

She could feel Seymour's poison coursing through her veins, burning. Hard as she tried, Rayne couldn't fight against the flames growing inside of her.

Just as she was about to give back in to the black, someone dribbled something bitter and cold into her mouth. The liquid rolled over her tongue and down her throat, where its effects began to blossom and spread through her body. Strength returning, Rayne opened her eyes and shot into a sitting position. As soon as she sat up, Rikku fell onto her lap.

"Rikku!"

The girl shuddered, then looked up and moaned in Al Bhed, "Sister, save Yunie. Please…"

Rayne flipped Rikku off of her and jumped to her feet, crouching down and quickly pouring a Hi-Potion down the girl's throat. As soon as Rikku began to recover, Rayne jumped back up and looked around to the others. Auron, Kimahri, and Lulu had all fallen and Wakka was the only guardian other than her left standing.

The ex-blitzer was frantically trying to beat Seymour back from something the unsent had cornered, his attempts failing miserably. Rayne blanched when she saw the figure huddled between Seymour and the icy rock wall.

Digging various items out as she ran, Rayne skidded to a halt beside Wakka, shoving the items into his hands. "Take these and resurrect the others. When you're all healed get everyone to assault him from behind. I'll get Yuna!" Wakka nodded and ran off.

Rayne then turned and ran towards Seymour, diving and rolling beneath him and crashing into the cornered Yuna on the other side. Rayne gasped and bit her lip when she felt a blade pierce her back, but pulled herself together and said to Yuna through gritted teeth, "Stand and cover me. I'll take the front line."

Yuna nodded and they both stood, Rayne whirling around and smacking Seymour with her staff. The unsent half-Guado, though, just laughed and thrust his spear at her again. Rayne dodged and snarled, slashing her staff and shouting, "Thundaga!"

The sky darkened and bolts fell, striking Seymour simultaneously. The unsent, though, just giggled and retaliated with a spell of his own, after which he smiled evilly at Rayne. "So, tell me, have you told them what you are?"

Rayne frowned and sent another spell at him, replying, "Those who need to know where I am from have been told, though it is hardly any of your concern."

Seymour preformed an attack on the entire party, then giggled insanely. "Oh, I don't mean that world you have called home ten years ago. I mean the real you. Who you used to be. The person whose identity has been hinted to us all since you first came to Spira. Do they know about that side of you?"

Rayne scowled and used a Mega-Potion on the party, snapping back to the half-Guado, "What are you talking about?!"

Seymour smirked and stopped attacking, drifting off of the cliff. As he prepared himself for a large-scale attack, he hissed, "The you that you saw in the vision at the foot of Gagazet."

"CYCLONIC!" Rayne spun her staff rapidly around her head, the ruby glowing intensely. When the ball of fire had formed, Rayne spun her body and used the combined forces of the staff's centrifuge and her own to hurl the weapon at Seymour. "INCINERATING SALVO!" The staff flew from her hands and bore into Seymour's chest, where it promptly exploded.

The maester fell heavily backwards and gasped, his hands digging at the hole in his chest. Anaxagoras fell from the sky and landed in the snow before Rayne, still smoking slightly. As his owner picked him up, Anaxagoras' ruby shone brightly.

Rayne looked up at Seymour, her eyes glowing red and the air around her crackling angrily, "What I saw down there is none of your business. DEMI!"

Seymour had just begun to heal his wound when the attack hit. He screamed.

Rayne took a step forward. "Who I was in a passed life is none of your concern. HOLY!"

Gasping for air, Seymour struggled and failed to hold back an inhuman scream as the sacred light burned his flesh.

Rayne took another step forward. "This world is far bigger than you are and ever will be, so don't you dare ever assume that you know all sides of the playing field because in the end, you're just a pawn like the rest of us. PAIN!"

Seymour fell back a bit more, raising a shaking hand and gasping, "A-anima!"

Rayne laughed cruelly and stepped right at the edge of the cliff. "Do you think she'll answer you? The aeons only respond to the calls of a summoner, the rights to being which you gave up in your pathetic quest for power. OBLIVION!"

When Seymour sunk back and didn't answer, Rayne's grip tightened on her staff. She slashed it violently through the air, "FIRAGA! DEMI! PAIN! BILZZAGA! DEMI! DEMI! DEMI!!" She let spell after spell fly, not all of them hitting their target and the ones that did dealing such damage that Seymour gave up trying to fight back and simply took it.

Then, for the first time, Rayne's MP ran out during her rage. She stared through the red haze and looked down at her hands, as if they held her energy. Her magic drained and physically unable to reach Seymour, Rayne just blinked and let the haze fade from her eyes. When it was gone, she jumped back from the edge and looked back at the party.

They were all staring at her with wide eyes. Auron was frowning and questions were evident on his face. Rayne just shook her head as an out-of-body daze washed over her. She walked back to the group and muttered, "Yuna, summon an aeon and finish him."

She walked passed the party and sat in the snow, watching numbly as Bahamut landed in the snow and used 'Mega Flare'. Seymour moaned and drooped in his contraption, which exploded around him and carried him off into the distance.

Tidus glared at him as he left. "And stay up there!"

Rayne got up and began to walk away as the party turned to continue up the path. She had only taken a few steps when she heard her charge say softly yet clearly, "He will become Sin… with my help." At the words the party froze, snow blowing by in the breeze.

Auron coughed, "Lies. Forget them."

Yuna stepped forward and spoke more strongly, "If he becomes Sin, Sir Jecht will be saved."

Rayne shook her head and sighed, "Yuna—"

Auron continued to walk, "We're leaving."

"You know something! Tell me!" Auron stopped and didn't answer. Yuna looked at Tidus, "Tell me!"

Tidus looked away and lowered his head, "Sin… is my old man."

Several of the party gasped and Wakka asked, "You hit your head?"

Tidus groaned, shaking his head. "Sin is my old man. My old man became Sin! I don't know how or why he did it. I felt him, inside, and when I did, I knew it was true. My old man is Spira's suffering." He paused and lowered his head. "Sorry."

Yuna stared at him with sympathetic eyes, a light film of tears in her eyes. "Even… knowing that Sin is your father… Still, you know, I must…"

The young swordsman nodded, "Yeah, I know. Let's go get him. It's alright. I think my old man… would want that."

Lulu stared at him, aghast, "You'd fight your own father."

Tidus laughed bitterly, "Yeah, no problem there."

"Um…" They looked at Wakka, who was rubbing the back of his head and shuffling his feet. "'Bout your old man… You sure this ain't some kinda bad toxin dream or somethin'? Then… Chappu… I… uh…. I think I'll pretend I didn't hear nothin'. It's getting a little confusing, ya? Why…" He sighed and shook his head. "Why'd all this have to happen?"

Auron shook his head and turned back to the path. "We'll learn when we arrive. Soon."

"Hold on." The party stopped again and looked at Lulu, who was shaking her head. "There is one more thing." She looked right at Rayne. "What did Seymour mean when he said 'who you used to be'? And what did you mean when you said 'I'm hardly Spiran'?"

"Hey!" Tidus exclaimed snapping his fingers, "You yelled that out in the Farplane, too!"

Wakka blinked and looked at Rayne, "Hey, I remember that! What were you talking about, Lady Rayne?"

Rayne sighed and shook her head. "I… hardly know myself." When the group looked at her skeptically, she shrugged. "What? I—" She stopped as the pendant Belgamine gave her grew icy. Her hand shot to her chest and a slight feeling of vertigo washed over her. "Actually, I think I might be able to tell you soon. Please, bear with me, and let's go."

The party members exchanged glances, then nodded and walked on. Rayne sighed and followed them, staring at the ground.

After a few steps, a piece of red cloth fluttered on the snow before her and Auron's low voice spoke, "Is it wise to tell them?"

Rayne shrugged, "They've been dealing with my silence and secrecy for ten years, so I think an explanation is long overdue."

"And what about the rest of our story?"

Rayne shrugged, "I'll tell them that when we reach Zanarkand. I think that the answers I'm searching for will appear before that."

Auron raised a brow, "Oh?"

Reaching into her shirt, Rayne pulled out the pendant by its chain. "This necklace Belgamine seems to be telling or leading me something. I'm not sure, but I think it might be the answers I need to satisfy myself as well as them." She looked up at him and smiled, "I think… everything will be better when I know."

Auron smiled faintly and nodded, "I'm sure it will."

They walked along a narrow ridge and through a tunnel. Everything was pitch black, then blindingly bright as they emerged.

"Wow!" Yuna exclaimed.

When Rayne's vision cleared, she gapped at what she saw. Hundreds upon hundreds of bodies, all trapped in a stone wall on the right hand side. They all seemed to be crawling over each other and upward, towards something that only they could see. Blue mist covered everything and seemed to be draped over the people's bodies. To the left was a large, liquid metallic lake, shimmering and rippling, with a large, thin funnel of blue mist twisting upwards.

As they gapped and stared, Wakka stuttered, "Wh-what are those?"

Yuna stopped gapping and said, "Those are the fayth."

Rayne felt a pulse as she stared at the fayth. She stumbled away from them, barely listening to the conversation around her. Then, the voices returned.

"Someone is using all of them to summon!"

_Rayne!…_

_It is good to see you again…_

_We have waited so long…_

_We wondered when you would show…_

_Rayne…_

Rayne shook her head and took another step backwards.

"Hey, you know something, don't you? Spill the beans!" Rikku demanded of Auron.

Auron said something philosophical in return, but Rayne didn't hear it.

_So, have you told them?…_

_Have you told them what you are?…_

_She probably hasn't…_

_Don't badger her…_

_Yes, don't…_

_She's afraid of how they will react, so she must take this at her own pace…_

_Rayne…_

"This is our… This is my story." Tidus said as he approached the wall and touched it. There was a flash of light, Tidus shouted, and he fell backwards.

Rayne watched numbly as the party panicked and ran to the boy, calling to him, calling to him to wake up.

_Bahamut… has much to tell the boy…_

_Just as we have much to tell you…_

_Are you ready?…_

_Rayne…_

"Rayne!" She blinked and looked at Yuna, who was looking at her imploringly. "He won't wake up! What do we do?!" The girl then looked at Rayne oddly, "Rayne?"

Rayne shook her head and took another step back. "I don't… want to know."

Yuna frowned, "Wha—"

_But you must, Rayne…_

_You can't keep running…_

_You may have been lucky enough to have done as you wished…_

_But no more…_

_It is time you faced the truth…_

_Rayne…_

Rayne grabbed her head and screamed, "LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON'T WANTO TO KNOW! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME REMEMBER! I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK!!"

"Rayne?! What's wrong?!"

_Oh, Rayne…_

_Our poor sister…_

_We are sorry…_

_But it must be this way…_

_You must learn… remember…_

_Otherwise, any victory you may have with Sin will be null…_

_So it is time… time to remember…_

_Remember, Rayne, who you are…_

Rayne screamed and stumbled backwards, falling into the lake. She stared up at the surface, where her friends had already gathered were screaming for her. She tried to call back, but her vision was already fading… fading… fading… black.


	44. Past Life

The time has come.

The reason for Rayne's name…

The reason for Anaxagoras…

The reason for the hints that have been laid since the beginning…

I reveal them to you now, here, in this chapter.

…Please, don't be too mad at me.

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Past Life)

"But this is madness! War with Zanarkand will only lead to millions of unnecessary deaths and mass destruction! We could very well destroy our civilization, not to mention what would happen to Spira itself!"

The leaders of Bevelle looked down at Rayne with anger and confusion. Here was one of their most powerful warrior Black Mages, and she was refusing to commit for the battle they had been planning for some time now. This was an unforeseen problem.

"Mage Rayne," One of them began in an even, calm tone, "I am sure that you are aware of the power that lies in Zanarkand. The power of the summoners and the power of Yu Yevon. I am sure that you are aware that, if Zanarkand takes the initiative, they could very well take over Spira."

"They would never!" Rayne screamed, "You know this! Zanarkand does not wish war, especially one they know would lead to destruction! Yu Yevon is a peaceful man who—"

"Who commands the power of the aeons, Rayne, or have you forgotten?!" Another leader stood and shouted.

"They use the aeons as we use our machina! They only want to protect their people from the fiends, and prevent them from becoming fiends! It is because of the Zanarkand summoners that so many have been laid to rest in the Farplane, including many of our own. We have maintained peace for this long, why not longer?!"

"Because, Rayne, we can wait no longer." The calm man spoke before anyone else could. He sighed and shook his head. "The people of Bevelle are demanding change, demanding that we take action before Zanarkand takes us. We must—"

"The people only see that because you refuse to tell them that it is Bevelle that refuses to speak at negotiations!"

The men sat silent and stared at her. The calm man shook his head slowly, "Rayne, I have known you for some time. I have helped care for you since your family left Bevelle for Zanarkand, and I know of your strong connection to them. …I know how much you love your mother, father, and brother. And… I also know that this love would lead to your speech—"

"I speak, Lord Regol," Rayne spoke to the man calmly, "For more than just the welfare of my family. I speak for the welfare of all of Spira. If you choose to fight Zanarkand, then you leave me no choice but to defend Zanarkand. I shall not sit back and watch this war unfold. I will make a difference." She turned on her heel and walked out of the council room.

Rayne stormed down the long halls and across courtyards, passed many men, women, and older children preparing for war. Back in her room, Rayne gathered her few possessions and slung them to her back. She then picked up the sleeve to her staff from the wall, slinging the simple metal staff onto her back.

She then walked out of her room and back down the long halls, taking a right at the fork between the Highbridge and the council room. Rayne met no opposition as she crossed the bridge, as she had expected. She walked passed the guards and through the arch, leaving Bevelle forever.

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As she knocked on her parent's door, Rayne wondered how they would receive her. Would they slam the door on her? Disown her where she stood? Welcome her? Would they even remember her? She only had a few seconds of anxiety to wonder before the door was opened and her mother stepped into view.

Time froze as Rayne and her mother stared at each other. The next moment, Rayne was taking a step backwards and supporting her mother, who had fallen into her arms and was now crying profusely. "Oh Rayne, Rayne, my darling baby girl, oh…"

This went on for a few moments before her father and brother came to the door, whereupon her father swept both his wife and Rayne into a hug and spun them around in the streets, laughing so hard he cried.

When he had set them back down, Rayne turned dizzily back towards the house, where her brother was standing on the porch in a daze. "Rayne? Sis?"

Rayne smiled up at her brother sheepishly, "Hey, Michael, how's it flow?"

Michael smiled at her and walked towards her, both of them performing the secret handshake they had invented when they were younger. He then pulled her into a hug, "Good to see ya, sis."

Rayne hugged him back, "Good to see you, too, Mike."

Their mother, who had gotten passed her crying, walked between them and hooked their arms in hers, "Well, let's get inside and have something to eat. Rayne must be starving and tired."

Rayne smiled and sighed. It was good to be home.

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"So, Bevelle plans on launching a full-scale attack, huh?"

After dinner, Rayne had motioned for Michael to follow her to her room. There, she had told him about everything that had been going on in Bevelle. Now, she was asking for advice.

"Yeah," Rayne nodded, "They don't plan to do it for a while, but they were in the middle of preparing even when I left. They really plan on doing something big, Mike."

Michael sighed and leaned his head back against the wall closing his eyes for a moment. Then, his head shot back up, "What we need to do is get this information to Yu Yevon. I'm sure he's already aware of it, but he'll need to know the scope of things there."

Rayne nodded, "Yeah. Tell Yu Yevon." In truth, she had another idea in mind, as well.

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"And so, Lord Yevon, I implore that you gather your defenses and be prepared for anything."

Yu Yevon nodded slowly, sizing up the woman before him. He leaned back in his chair and arched his fingers, asking pensively, "Why would you, a former Bevellian, give me this information? How do I know I can trust you?"

Rayne bowed before the man, "I am currently going through the procedure of becoming a citizen of Zanarkand, sir, and I have a family here I wish to protect. Furthermore, I do not wish for bloodshed between Bevelle and Zanarkand; they are two powerhouses that, if crossed, could lead to mass destruction and chaos. I do not wish that upon Spira or her citizens."

Yevon nodded slowly as she spoke, speaking when she was done, "I have heard your words and taken your warning to heart, Mage Rayne. And now I ask, of the second request that you submitted when you called for an audience with me, what did you mean of that?"

Rayne bowed again, "Sir, I wish to become apart of your Black Mage division and help protect Zanarkand as well I can, in any way I can."

Yevon nodded, then picked up a piece of paper from his desk and looked it over. "Your application has already been examined and cross-examined, and information has been unearthed about you from your time in Bevelle. According to this, you are an extremely skilled Black Mage, strong enough to have been given the position of Black Mage Magister, yet you refused. Why?"

Rayne grimaced, "They… offered me the position because they wanted me to lead a group to eradicate the Hypello from certain areas of the Moonflow. I… refused to take part in the massacre."

Yevon nodded again, then stared at Rayne contemplatively, "I do believe that I may have a… personal assignment you can handle for me."

Rayne blinked, "Oh?"

"My daughter, Yunalesca. She is one of the most powerful summoners Zanarkand has, and she has the skill to summon an aeon more powerful than any other; one that could protect Zanarkand. I want you to guard her."

Rayne nodded and bowed, "Thine will be done."

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"Yunalesca, Zaon, this is Rayne, the High Magus I have chosen to protect you during the remaining extent of your training." Yu Yevon announced.

Rayne bowed deeply before the couple, "It is an honor, Lady Yunalesca and Lord Zaon."

"Thank you, father," Yunalesca drawled, clearly peeved by Rayne's presence, "This is most appreciated. Now, I'm sure that you have other matters to…"

"Ah, yes." Yevon turned and walked out of the apartment.

After he had been gone a few moments, no one in the room moved. Rayne was still bowing, Yunalesca was glaring at Rayne, and Zaon was trying unsuccessfully to silently sooth his angry fiancée.

"Zaon," The summoner said after a moment, "Do you think you could leave Miss Rayne and I… alone for a moment?"

Zaon looked between his fiancée and Rayne for a moment, then consented and walked out of the room, leaving the two women. Rayne remained in place, bowing to Yunalesca and staring at the floor. She could feel Yunalesca's gaze boring into her head.

"I take it that you do not like the fact that your father hired me to guard you, do you, milady?" Rayne heard Yunalesca breath in sharply and rose, staring at the now furious summoner.

"My father," Yunalesca spat, "Needs to learn to keep his personal vendettas out of my life."

"Ah," Rayne raised a brow, "So, you are under the impression that your father doesn't like the family Zaon is from, and is planning on using me to spy on you, is that it?" When Yunalesca pursed her lips tightly, Rayne nodded. "I see. Well, milady, I can assure you that I am here for no other reason than to guard you. Any duty I may have had to your father ended when he passed me to you and ordered me to guard you, therefore I am no longer under his sway. I am here to serve you and only you. Anything he commands me to do is null and void, and I shall make sure to tell him so if I feel that his commands infringe upon your personal freedoms."

"A pretty speech," Yunalesca said coolly with a raised brow, "But, let us see how long you can keep it, shall we?"

Rayne let a smirk tug at her lips and bowed, "Thine will be done."

"Very well." Yunalesca turned on her heel and walked out of the room, "Someone shall be by shortly to escort you to your room. Please, wait here until then." Yunalesca joined arms with the waiting Zaon and the door shut.

Rayne stood straight and looked around the room. When she saw the large, paper covered desk against the wall, she could have laughed. 'My Lady Yunalesca's study? Such an obvious attempt to catch me… or is it a challenge? Either way, I can tell that living here will be most… entertaining.'

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"Oh," Yunalesca sighed and leaned back in her desk, "What are we to do? Bevelle is ever advancing, yet the fact that they have managed to conceal their weapons gives us the illusion that they are merely working in the mountains. If we launch an attack, we ourselves shall be remembered as the instigators of the war. Yet, if we do not act, they will surely ride up on our defenses and position themselves in such a way as to lay a devastating first blow."

Rayne listened, then coughed and decided to voice her suggestion. "If I may, it is a fairly good plan, though a bit shaky if we can find a way to weaken their disguise. Might I suggest widening the anti-magic barrier around the city by a few miles? That should cancel out any magic barriers they have placed over their weapons, which they are bound to have a few."

"That would require more magic than we have." Yunalesca mumbled, rubbing her temples, "Unless there is an unused supply of magic we have overlooked…" Then, the summoner snapped forward in her seat and shouted, "Of course! The students at the academies! Surely a large number of them must be proficient in magic use!"

Rayne nodded, "And, if you give it the cover of a government recruiting program, I am sure that many would be willing to assist."

Yunalesca smiled widely and whipped out a piece of stationary with a flare, pulling out her most impressive writing quill and scribing the idea in flowing handwriting. She then called in a steward to have him deliver the paper to the Home Security Office. When he was gone, Yunalesca looked at Rayne with a look that was slightly less scathing than usual, "Thank you… for the suggestion."

Rayne nodded and smiled, "It is part of why I am here, My Lady."

Yunalesca nodded stiffly, then looked back down at her paperwork and continued.

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"Milady?"

Yunalesca moved a bit, then went back to sleep.

"Milady?"

Yunalesca moaned and turned her head.

"Milady, you must wake up."

Yunalesca moaned again, then opened her eyes and shot into a sitting position, "What has happened?!"

Rayne backed away from the summoner and said in a soothing manner, "Milady, nothing has happened. You simply fell asleep at your desk again, so I thought it best to wake you and take you to your bed."

The woman looked down at the papers on her desk and groaned, shaking her head, "Can't. Have to finish paperwork."

Rayne shook her head and pulled Yunalesca into a standing position, leaning the summoner against her as she led her out of the room. "It is alright, Lady. Tell me what must be done and I shall make sure it is finished."

Yunalesca hesitated a moment, then began to list off the various forms and reviews that needed to be filled out. Rayne listened intently, nodding her head and watching her feet as she walked the summoner back to her room. Inside the room, Rayne laid her lady across her bed and covered her with the comforter, turning off the lights as she headed out. As she walked back to the room, Rayne began to make a mental checklist of everything Yunalesca had said needed to be done.

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Yunalesca looked at the scene before her with a blank face. Rayne was lying with her head on the desk, all of the papers stacked into neat, orderly piles, several of the bins either empty or full. Yunalesca walked over to the desk and grabbed the top pages of one stack, pinching them and flipping through them with her thumb and forefinger. Everything was as she needed it to be…

Yunalesca pressed a button on the desk, waiting for someone to come while staring at Rayne. As soon as the butler had walked through the door, Yunalesca said, "Take the Magus Rayne to her room and put her to bed. She has had quite a busy night. Make sure not to wake her, and I'll have my tea when you're done with that." Taking her seat, the summoner opened one of the drawers and picked up a stack of paper from the desk, beginning the job of organizing everything, as well as admiring Rayne's penmanship.

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"Are you sure about this, Lady Yunalesca?" Rayne asked, a bit skeptical, "I'm sure that there are plenty of skilled hairdressers for you to pick from. Wouldn't it be safer to go with one, or even several of them? They would probably do a much better job, seeing as it is your wedding day and—"

"Nonsense," Yunalesca interjected, laying out all of the hair accessories she wanted used, "I simply love the way you do your hair, and you've known me for quite a few years, which is long enough for you to know how my hair would best look. I trust you." The summoner then sat and faced the mirror, closing her eyes and leaning her head back.

Rayne sighed and picked up a bottle of hair gel. 'Well, if I'm getting artistic liberty for this, might as well take advantage of it…' She squirted the gel into bluish violet hair, then began to work sections into specific designs. 'I hope this is how you do this…'

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Rayne watched in awe as Yunalesca walked to Zaon, her long hair twisted into several series of spirals and gelled to her head while some strands were left to hang down to her ankles. Rayne could have cried as the music played. As the wedding rites were read, Rayne did her best to ignore the sounds of explosions raging outside.

The war had begun.

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"LADY YUNALESCA! LORD ZAON!! DUCK!!" Rayne flew passed the two and buried her staff into the Bevellian machina, letting a stream of water pour from her staff and flood the machines gears. Rayne stood and turned to her lieges, "Follow me!" She began to run away from the conflict, heading back to the capitol.

"Rayne!" Yunalesca called, "Where are you taking us?!"

Rayne shook her head and cut through a man, "That battle was lost. To stay would have meant death. Your people need you alive, my Lady and Lord, so please just follow me back to safety!" Much to her relief, Yunalesca and Zaon continued to run after her.

Back at the estate of Yu Yevon, Yevon pulled Yunalesca into a hug and cried into her hair, murmuring over and over again, "My daughter, my daughter…"

Yunalesca tensed and hugged him briefly, then pushed him away and said, "Father, something must be done. We must stop them!"

Yevon nodded, pulling himself back together, "I believe I have a plan, though it will take time to prepare and hone its edges."

Yunalesca nodded and turned to Rayne, "Go and assist with the evacuations. We shall be fine here."

"With all due respect, my Lady," Rayne bowed, "I'd much rather remain here and make sure you stayed safe."

Zaon shook his head, "And what of your family?"

Rayne waved her hand and laughed, "My family is perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. Each of them wields a weapon and they were all able to make it through Gagazet without too much trouble, so I'm not worried about them. If anything, I'm more worried about the monks who may challenge them."

"Ah!" Yevon exclaimed, turning to a table, "Speaking of your family…" He turned back around and set a long, heavy-looking black box on the ground, taking a silver key that was lying on top and slipping it into the lock. "Your mother sent this to me recently. She said that it was made by your Uncle Harref, especially for your skills. I believe it is about time that you began to use it."

Rayne kneeled before the box and snapped the bracers on either side, opening the lid. Inside was a masterfully crafted staff with a blue pole, entwined silver filigree running to the top, and a ruby inlayed in the tip, glowing softly. Where the filigree went to the top, it thickened immensely and curved off of the staff, rolling back onto itself to form two wedge-like blades.

"Your Aunt Kala told your mother that its name," Yunalesca said, reading from the note Rayne's mother had left, "Is Anaxagoras."

Rayne ran her hand along the length of the pole, murmuring, "Anaxagoras…" She then turned to Yunalesca and smiled, "Well, then, shall we go show those Bevellians who their dealing with?"

Yunalesca smiled back, "Let's."

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"Zaon, no!"

"Yunalesca, my love, it must be done."

Rayne watched numbly as Yunalesca clung to Zaon's robes and wept. 'Yunalesca must… kill Zaon?' Rayne shook her head, "I don't… understand…"

Zaon sighed sadly and wrapped his arms around his beloved, "The Final Aeon… is something that is ever changing. There is no set aeon for the Final Summoning. The Summoner and the Guardian must make it. And, to do that, the Guardian must give up their life."

Yunalesca pounded her fist into Zaon's chest, "Don't say that!"

Rayne shook her head again, "How do you know this?"

Zaon looked around the antechamber, "Yevon told me. This… is apart of the plan he spoke of. We are apart of the edge that must be honed. My love," He put his finger under Yunalesca's chin and lifted her gaze to his, "You must save the people. You must do this."

"Zaon… I…can't…"

"Then I shall."

Yunalesca looked at Rayne with wide eyes, "What?"

Rayne clenched her hand and looked at the ground, "If you cannot… I will kill Lord Zaon so you might have the Final Aeon." Rayne sighed, still looking at the ground, "It must be done, My Lady. Your father, your husband, and you yourself know it. It… must be done."

Yunalesca and Zaon stared at Rayne seriously, the summoner saying, "I… will never forgive you if you do this."

Rayne took a deep breath and bowed, "Thine will be done…"

As they stood on the alter, Zaon faced Rayne one final time, "Take care of her… until the end."

Rayne nodded, "I will."

The man sighed, then turned back to his wife, whom he smiled at, "Don't use me until you absolutely have to. Trust in Rayne's decisions, and save Zanarkand."

Yunalesca nodded, tears threatening her eyes again, "I will, my love."

Zaon nodded, still smiling, "I know you will." He then bent forward and kissed her.

Rayne let them have a moment, then raised her hand and set it on the back of Zaon's head. If he felt her, he didn't acknowledge her. Rayne closed her eyes and focused, narrowing her attack range to a minute section in Zaon's brain. An instant kill zone.

Yunalesca felt Rayne's magic build up and tensed, squeezing her eyes and kissing Zaon deeper.

Zaon smiled into her mouth.

Rayne sighed, then murmured, "Holy."

A bit later, Yunalesca and Rayne watched as an unsent Zaon looked down at the statue beneath him, then fell forward and disappeared into the glass. The summoner sighed, "I will never forgive you."

Rayne looked at her Lady's tearless face and nodded, "I don't ever expect you to."

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Rayne opened her mouth a bit and let the blood that had built up so quickly dribble out. Yunalesca's aeon killed the fiend in front of Rayne and the summoner knelt beside Rayne. "Rayne?! Rayne!"

Rayne opened her eyes and looked at Yunalesca, smiling despite the metallic taste, "I'm sorry, milady. It would appear as though this… is as far as you and I go together."

Yunalesca shook her head, "Not if I have anything to say about it. Curaga!"

Rayne shook her head and sighed as the wound closed up, "You shouldn't waste your energy…"

"Quit talking and lay back." Rayne complied and lay on the ground. Yunalesca nodded and stood, "Good. Now, I'm going to finish this war for good."

"Milady." When Yunalesca looked down at Rayne, Rayne smiled, "I will… meet up with you later, alright?"

Yunalesca smiled and nodded, "I'll be waiting." The summoner ran off.

Rayne sighed and looked up at the sky, staring at the smoke that had turned red because of the light of the fires. "Mea anima est cumte."

"_My heart is with you._"

She closed her eyes and let the smoke consume her.

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Rayne moved like a zombie among her fellows from Zanarkand. The war was over. They had lost. Now, they were all gathering for one final fall out before Bevelle came for them.

It was something they had all quietly accepted: Zanarkand was gone. Never again would the city arise from the rubble and ashes. Never would any return it to its former glory. It was done.

But, all was not lost. Even now, all survivors were gathering for something; something grand. She wasn't sure who had said it, but someone had promised that, if they all went, they would be able to go to a place where Bevelle would never be able to touch them. So, knowing she had nothing better planned, Rayne joined the congregation.

As they walked up the mountain path, Rayne paused to look back down at Zanarkand. She winced and turned away from what she saw, unable to even think about it. The sight was… too painful. The group walked through the Gagazet Trials, stopping at the clearing on the other side.

Before she knew it, Rayne was receiving orders to drop all of her items and remove all of her extraneous clothes. She unstrapped her staff and bags, dropping them to the side. She then slipped of her jacket, throwing it on top of her pile of belongings. After several moments of waiting, the group then received another order: "Press yourselves against the Yevon symbols on the stone wall and give your energy to them."

Rayne watched blankly as the people of Zanarkand gathered at the walls and began to kill themselves; she joined them a moment later. It was pointless to delude herself: Lady Yunalesca was dead; her family was most likely dead; Zanarkand was gone. She might as well make herself useful one final time and give Yevon the power he needed to do whatever it was he wanted.

The then received another order: "Dream of Zanarkand."

Closing her eyes, Rayne remembered everything she saw of Zanarkand;

The buildings,

The people,

The sky,

The blitz,

Her Lady Yunalesca,

The Lord Zaon,

Her family.

Rayne felt herself grow warm. She got warmer and warmer until it burned, but she didn't pull away from the wall. Just as she felt herself begin to sink into the wall, a curious feeling of wetness overcame her and she woke at the bottom of a lake, an arm wrapped around her waist and her lungs burning for oxygen.


	45. Fayth

Yep, I did it. And you know what? I don't really regret it… No, scratch that. I don't regret it in the least. This is who Rayne is… this is what she told me about herself. Her character spoke to me as I was writing this, and this is what she said.

I have no regrets.

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Fayth)

Rayne numbly stared up at the grey sky as someone forced air into her lungs. 'I… am a fayth?' She felt herself cough and sputter, but ignored it. 'I am Spiran, not Earthen… on top of being Spiran, I am a citizen of Zanarkand. I was the bodyguard of the Lady Yunalesca…' She felt hands roll her body over onto her side and let the water drain out of her ears and mouth. 'I am a fayth… I am a fayth…'

Rayne rolled onto her stomach and walked away from the group, all of whom were too stunned by the fact that she was walking to try to stop her. Rayne walked a ways down the line of fayth and leaned against the wall where she should have been. The space was empty. 'So, if I was supposed to be a fayth, what happened?'

She heard the party approach her and did nothing. She felt them staring at her back, but didn't say anything. Tidus walked up beside her, "You see something, too?"

Rayne shook her head and grunted, standing and walking towards the entrance of the Trials. "Let's go. We don't have any time to waste." She didn't get too far before she felt woozy and had to lean against the wall again, this time slumped against one of the fayth. 'I wonder if I knew this person…'

"Cure." A flash of light and a feeling of warm relief. Yuna stepped in front of Rayne, "Rayne… are you—"

"I'm fine." Rayne growled, pushing herself away from the wall, "Please, just… don't talk to me right now." She walked into the tunnel.

Inside the cave, Kimahri took over and began to lead; already knowing what must be done. He led the group off of the main path and down a smaller one which took them downwards. A short time later, he stopped at the edge of an underground lake and pointed. The group looked and saw another tunnel, only this one was under water.

"Looks like we got a job, ya?" Wakka stepped forward, Tidus and Rikku following him to the edge of the water.

Lulu watched them step into the water, speaking to Wakka, "If anything happens in the water, we're relying on you three. If it gets too dangerous, pull out quick."

Wakka began to tread water, turning and waving to Lulu, "Right."

Yuna looked at Tidus, "Be careful, okay?"

Tidus smiled and nodded, "You betcha!" The three then turned and swam off.

After they were out of sight, Rayne sighed and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes and turning her head towards the ceiling. She had barely just relaxed when a rough hand grabbed her upper arm and yanked her to walking. "Hey!"

Rayne opened her eyes and glared at the red-coated guardian, who was currently pulling her back up the path. She dug her feet and growled, "Let go, Auron."

"Not until we have a talk." He growled back. He turned them down a tunnel out of earshot of the others and whirled on her, glaring, "What the hell is your problem?"

Rayne balked and blinked, then frowned and glared at him, "I could ask you the same damn question, Auron. What the hell?"

"Don't," Auron started, taking a warning step towards her, "Start with me. Now, tell me what is wrong."

She looked away from his eye, staring down the tunnel, "None of your damn business."

"It is my 'damn business'," Auron growled, taking another step towards her, "When you are apart of my life. You are my friend, my companion, my fellow guardian, my…" He paused, then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, "The one person in this world that I… that I truly…"

"I saw things," Rayne cut in, leaning against him, "Things that I should have remembered, but honestly wish I didn't. So much, so few, yet too much anyways. Memories… of a life I had unjustly forgot about, yet honestly wish I didn't remember."

Auron hugged her tighter, "Care to talk about it?"

Rayne shook her head, "Not particularly. I need to sort a few things out, first."

Auron chuckled, "Is this another one for Zanarkand?" He stopped laughing, though, when she looked at him blankly.

Rayne sighed and pushed away from him, walking back to the others, "This is… far beyond the league of the other Zanarkand confessions."

They arrived back just as Tidus and the others were swimming back up to the edge. Tidus jumped out of the water and groaned, "That was soo hard!"

"Hush your mouth!" Wakka snapped irritably, flicking Tidus on the back of the head, "You didn't even do anything!"

"Well, we're halfway done!" Rikku exclaimed brightly, bouncing on the balls of her feet, "Everybody ready? No? Okay, let's take a break!"

"Nice try." Auron scoffed, walking passed her and onto the newly opened path.

Rayne sighed loudly and angrily, storming forward and bumping into Auron intentionally, "You could try to be a little more considerate, Auron."

The guardian narrowed his eyes and growled, murmuring profanities under his breath and stalking after her. The group watched them with raised brows.



"What's goin' on between them?" Tidus asked when the two elder guardians were well out of earshot. "Some kind of lovers spat or something?"

The others shrugged, watching with some amusement when Rayne turned to throw an angry glare at Auron because he had 'accidentally' kicked a rock at the back of her leg.

Yuna laughed a bit, quickly trailing off and frowning, "I'm… worried. Rayne has been acting odd ever since she woke up after falling into that lake. I'm wondering if something happened…"

"The fayth." They group turned and looked at Kimahri, bewildered. The Ronso shrugged, "Fayth acted up when Lady Rayne fell into lake. Kimahri smell them."

Yuna frowned, "The fayth…"

"It is… odd," Lulu remarked, rolling her shoulders, "But Rayne probably won't talk about it, even if anything did happen. It's… not in her nature."

"One of her greater downfalls, ya?" Wakka said, shaking his head.

As they caught up with their companions, the group stopped talking and looked ahead, shouts echoing through the cavern. Rayne and Auron seemed to be arguing about the last Trial. The group sighed and shook their heads.



Rayne sulked in the back of the group as the rest complete the final trial and opened the exit to the Gagazet Cave. She blinked and lowered her eyes, the thought that had been hanging in the back of her head, daunting her, returning. 'I am a fayth.'



At the exit of the cave, the group stopped and took a break, happily taking advantage of the waiting save point. Rayne sat to the side and looked blankly out at the sky, thoughts floating around in her head. She barely noticed Auron and Yuna walk passed her, but snapped to attention when Auron mentioned her. Rayne sat back and sulked, 'Lady Yunalesca… is in Zanarkand. An unsent. She will test us. I wonder… will she remember me?'

Then, a pulse ran through Rayne and she jumped to her feet, tearing out her staff and running to stand in front of Yuna, her lapis lazuli necklace burning ice cold against her chest. When the others cried out at her, she shouted, "My Lady sends her first challenge! The Sanctuary Keeper!!"

At that moment, a great dragon dove from the sky and landed before the group with a sonorous crash. The ground shook and they held their grounds, then ran forward and began attacking, initiating the battle.

Wakka started off by attempting to 'Blind' the dragon with a 'Blind Shot' attack, but all he managed to do was injure it.

Rayne threw a 'Blizzaga' at the dragon and shouted, "Don't bother trying to find the status weaknesses unless an attack is involved with it! It'll take up too much time!" She bent over backwards to avoid a swipe from the fiends poisonous claws, throwing herself back forward and retaliating with a 'Firaga' spell.

"Get back!" Auron called a bit later. He then lifted his jug and took a mouthful of the alcohol, turning to his blade and spitting on it. The sword vibrated, the sound of which growing until it became a moan. Shadows began to surround the blade, some of them turning into ghostly faces. Auron's face contorted as he swung the sword around, facing the fiend. "Banishing Blade." With a roar, he ran forward and dug his sword into the dragon's hide.

"Hey, Sister!" Rikku called when Auron had backed off. Rayne glanced at her and the Al Bhed girl called, "Cover me!"

Rayne jumped in front of Rikku as the girl turned away from the fiend and began to mess around with a few items, mumbling to herself. "Alrighty, this goes here, and this here, and I think I'll put this…"

After a bit of Rayne fending off blows and throwing a few spells, Rikku stood and shouted, "Okay, I'm ready." Rayne jumped back and Rikku threw an odd, glowing red lump at the fiend, shouting, "Mix!"

The lump arced in the air, then landed on the dragon and exploded, several 'Firaga'-like attacks assailing the fiend.

Rikku pumped her arm and threw out a victory symbol, "YES!" She noticed Rayne flash red and shouted out, "Go, Big Sister!"

Rayne happily took a step forward, ready to try out her level three overdrive. 'Let's see, how about we start with 'Firag—'' She was cut off when a silver pulse flashed through her mind and canceled out her efforts. "Huh?"

"Rayne! LOOK OUT!"

She blinked and looked up, unable to dodge as the dragon's tail smacked her in the stomach and sent her flying… right into Auron.

"What happened?" Auron grumbled as he pushed her into a sitting position and stood, holding his hand out to her.

"I don't know." Rayne frowned, accepting his hand, "My third level overdrive was… completely shut down by my own magic…"

"Then, for now, try something that's not level three." He turned back to the battle and ran at the dragon, charging himself with a 'Break Magic' and using it.

Rayne shifted through her overdrive and selected her spell, "Come hither, my loyal servant." The tip of her staff flashed red, a bloodstone forming.

The humanoid male flame appeared, Rayne handing him his sword. "Bonfire Blade!" The flame sunk his sword into the fiends' chest, then yanked it upward after a dramatic pause.

The dragon roared and lunged at the humanoid, coughing and sputtering when it got a mouthful of hot air and smoke as the creature disappeared.

The company took advantage of the dragon's confusion and lunged forward, all of them landing attacks on the creature at nearly the same time. The Sanctuary Keeper reared back and roared, waving its stringy wings, the force of the air pushing the group back.

Tidus braced himself against the wind, shouting to Yuna, "Yuna! Summon!"

"Everybody, get back!" Yuna called. She twirled her staff as the others ran back and summoned Ifrit.

"Attack!" Yuna called.

Ifrit threw his head back and roared, then jumped forward in a front flip and sunk his claws into the Sanctuary Keeper's hide. The dragon roared and, in return, lunged out with its poisonous tail and speared Ifrit.

The hell beast, however, shrugged of the poison and grumbled lowly, his neck bulging. He then opened his mouth and shot forth a great flaming ball of brimstone. Ifrit's claws followed the ball and sank, once again, into the seared flesh.

Yuna winced as the Sanctuary Keeper roared, falling on its side and flailing a bit. She then shook it off and shouted, "Ifrit! Flare!"

Ifrit jumped back and landed before Yuna, picking up his hand and slamming it into the ground. The air around the Sanctuary Keeper popped loudly, and the party could feel the heat from twenty feet away. The fiend let out a great, wailing bugle as its body was surrounded by a great, bursting torrent of flame.

When it was over, it looked like the dragon wouldn't be getting back up, but it wasn't done fighting, yet. Instead, it slithered forward, burnt scales flaking off as it twisted, and rose up mightily before Ifrit. The party and the aeon could only watch in horror as the fiend fell forward, crashing into the ground. Pyreflies leaked out from underneath it as Ifrit was crushed.

Beside Wakka, Lulu flashed red, her red eyes almost glowing, "Enough! BLIZZAGA FURY!" Sanctuary Keeper let out one final wail as it was encased in towering blocks of ice, which shattered a moment later.

The fiend fell forward, letting out its final labored breaths. It looked at Rayne as she walked over to it, looking down at it with sorrowful eyes. Rayne knelt down beside the dragon and stroked its head as it began to break down into pyreflies. The Sanctuary Keeper coughed, then raised its muzzle a bit and breathed, "She waits…" And then it was gone.

Rayne stared at the area where the Sanctuary Keeper had been, the words ringing in her head. "_She waits…_"

"Rayne," Yuna walked up beside her guardian cautiously, the air dead silent as when she asked, "What did you mean when you said 'My Lady'?"

"Slip of the tongue." Rayne stood abruptly, not turning around, "Let's go."

"Hey!" Rikku called to the retreating Rayne, "Can't we rest a little?"

Auron sighed and walked passed her, answering, "No. We reach the summit soon."

"I know." Rayne and Auron stopped walking, listening to her, "That's why I want to stop for a bit." The girl turned her back and crouched, "Soon means that… there's not much time left…"

Yuna sighed and shook her head, "Rikku…"

The Al Bhed girl groaned and stood, "Fine. I'll think on the way."

As the others walked passed, Rayne stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down. 'Can I… really do this? Can I lead Yuna to her death? Can I face My Lady Yunalesca again, especially with my allegiance belonging to another summoner? …Does my allegiance belong to the past… or the future?'

"You remind me of myself." Rayne snapped out of her reverie, turning to see Auron addressing Wakka and Tidus. Auron looked off into the sky, "Before, the closer I came to Zanarkand, the more I wondered; 'When we arrive, Braska will call the Final Aeon… He will fight Sin, then die.'" He shook his head, "I thought my mind was made up long before. But, when I stood here, my resolve wavered."

"Huh," Wakka said, "Never would've figured. Legendary Guardians choke sometimes, too, ya?"

"Legendary Guardian?" Auron scoffed. "I was just a boy. A boy about your age, actually." He sighed and shook his head. "I wanted to change the world, too." He turned and saw Rayne looking at him. He closed his eye and sighed, "But I changed nothing. That is my story." He left them standing and walked down the path.



They stood at the summit of Gagazet, looking down at the end of the path below. Zanarkand. They had arrived. Rayne closed her eyes and sighed. She was home.

Below them, Zanarkand lay in a thin mist, the sunset casting a surreal glow over everything. Rayne closed her eyes and listened to the wind, imagining the noise that had once been there. But, instead of hearing the hustle and bustle of the city, she heard the narration of one sad, desperate boy.

"_A city dead for a thousand years. A city I had to see with my own eyes._

…_The end of Yuna's journey…"_

Rayne looked over at Tidus and saw him staring at Yuna.

"_The last chapter in my story._

_My thoughts, they kept floating up, and then slipping through my fingers._

_Slipping away before I could pin them down with words…"_

Choking silently, Rayne turned away and let her silent tears flow. Tears that none of the others would yet shed. Tears Yuna might never shed. She cried for them. She cried for Yuna. She cried for herself.

"Yuna, I say no!" Rikku burst, "If we go down there, then you'll…"

"Rikku," Yuna said softly, yet firmly, "You are a true friend, and I thank you, but… I must go… down, to Zanarkand."

"I'm not saying we shouldn't go." Rikku said, "Bus shouldn't we think about it some more There's gotta be some kind of way we can save you, Yuna!"

"There isn't," Rayne said lowly and evenly, still looking down at Zanarkand. She could feel eyes burning into her back, and she sighed, "I've been thinking about it ever since I learned of Braska's death. I have come up with nothing."

Yuna sighed sadly, looking down at the dead city, "All my life, I knew this moment would come."

"Yunie…" Rikku lowered her head, shadows obscuring her eyes.

"Thank you, Rikku," Yuna walked over to the girl and hugged her, "Thank you… for everything."

Rikku shuddered, then hugged Yuna tightly, "Don't say that, Yunie! It's not over yet!"

Yuna continued, "Tell Cid thank you."

Rikku backed away and held Yuna's shoulders, shaking her head, "No… You can tell him yourself."

Yuna lowered her head, her shoulders shaking, "Please…"

"Yunie, don't say that because… we're gonna see each other again, okay?" Rikku hugged her again.

Yuna pulled back and turned to her Ronso guardian. "Kimahri… let's go."

As the group walked away, Rayne noticed Tidus wasn't with them. She turned and saw him listening to a sphere, his eyes closed. She walked over to him and listened, eyes glistening again at what she head. Yuna's final words to the company.

"…Rayne," Yuna's voice said, "I remember… the first time we met.

You looked so lifeless… so sad.

But, in your eyes, I saw the remnants of laughter, memories of a happier time.

I was always happy to listen to your stories, watch your magic tricks, watch you talk to others, because… it brought out the old happiness that you once knew.

I know why my father chose you as his guardian, and I chose you for much the same reasons.

Rayne… my step-in mother… thank you. I love you…"

Rayne waited until Tidus was done listening to set her hand on the boy's shoulder. He looked at her, eyes shining with tears. Rayne pulled him into a hug, "This is not over. We still have time. Please… don't quit on her yet."

He nodded, and then they walked together to the path to Zanarkand. Everyone was waiting for them, looking down at the ghost city. Rayne walked beside Auron and grabbed his hand, looking down at the old ruins… He squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back.


	46. Truth

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Truth)

"I think I promised to tell the rest of the story when we got here, did I not?" The group looked at Rayne, surprised. She shrugged, "The story of why I was left on Besaid."

"Rayne…" Yuna interjected, "You don't—"

"I do, Yuna." Rayne nodded, "For your sake as much as mine. It is something that must be heard and accepted." She sighed and closed her eyes, "I never knew that Braska… would be killed in using the Final Summoning."

"…What?"

She opened her eyes and smiled at the sky, nodding in Wakka's direction. She then looked at Tidus, who was as stunned as the rest. "I have a bit of a confession to make… like you, I wasn't raised in this Spira." Stunned silence. Beside Rayne, Auron set a hand on her shoulder. Rayne nodded and continued, "I was raised… on a planet called Earth. There, there is no magic… no fiends… no aeons… no Ronso… no Hypello… no Yevon… no Sin. I grew up in a world that lacked fantasy and adventure." She stopped.

"How…" Tidus broke the silence, "How did you get here… if there was no Sin?"

"Bahamut." Rayne nodded decisively, shocking the group more. Rayne nodded again, "Bahamut is the representative voice of the fayth. He came to me and told me that, by the fayth's will, I was to come to Spira and… wake up."

Silence again. Lulu broke it this time, "Wake up from what?"

"Not so much 'from'," Rayne said, choosing her words carefully, "But rather… wake up 'to' what. He meant the truth. The truth that I had been running from; the truth that I had never really accepted."

"What truth?" Yuna asked.

Rayne turned to her and smiled, "I'm not… entirely sure, just yet. I have a feeling that it will play itself out, soon, though. Anyway," She pursed her lips and thought, "When I opened the door that day, I was met by the sight of my three companions sitting in a huddle, talking. They fell silent when I walked in. I confronted them… and they said that I might not yet be ready for a pilgrimage. I disagreed, but they were adamant. I tried to fight my way back in… and they shut the door." She closed her eyes and smiled, "With them… my journey had ended.

"In truth," She continued, "I wasn't as glorious as I had been made out to be. I was whiny, clingy, helpless, and hopeless. I couldn't wield a weapon, I couldn't fit in, and I sure as hell didn't know the true meaning of the pilgrimage. When I had met up with them, their fates had already been decided… and I wasn't apart of their futures. I was just… someone they had do drop off."

"Lady Rayne…" Wakka murmured.

"Yuna." Rayne turned towards her summoner, "I may soon… betray you, yet again. Though I do not deserve it, I ask that you have faith in me and be patient… so that I may make an important decision."

Yuna nodded, "And will this decision land you as my full guardian, at last?"

Rayne nodded, "Yes."

"Then I shall wait."

Rayne smiled and stood, "If you will excuse me." She then turned and walked a bit down the path, rounding a rock and disappearing.

Auron stood and followed her, not bothering to hide what he was doing.

The group watched them go, then turned back to the fire, slight smiles on their faces.



"Rayne?" Auron found her perched on a rock, looking towards the Zanarkand stadium, the fading sun giving her a soft glow. He walked closer to her, "Rayne?"

She blinked and turned towards him, a smile crossing her features, "Hey."

"Hey." He sat beside her, looking at the view with her, "We'll be there, soon."

Rayne sighed, "Too soon." She paused, then shook her head, "Or maybe too late."

He looked at her and frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Auron…" She shook her head and sighed, "I'm… not who you think I am. I'm not even who I thought I was… I'm…"

"Someone whose time has long moved on."

She looked at him in surprise, "You know?"

He looked at her and smirked, "Less than admirable quality, remember?"

Rayne laughed a bit, feeling relieved. She then pulled her legs close and leaned her chin on them, "Knowing what I am… I feel so… tired… so stretched…"

"You were lucky, though," He observed, "The rest of them had no choice but to dream of Zanarkand. You managed to escape and choose."

"Auron," She said in a small voice, "I don't want to go when this is over. I want to stay… with all of you."

Auron looked at her and his eye widened. She was curled into a tight ball, her eyes wide and watery and set on Zanarkand, fear and dread and sorrow in them. He shook his head and draped his arm over her shoulders, pulling her close, "I probably won't stay, either, you know."

She trembled against him, "Auron… what are you?"

He blinked, then closed his eye. "I can't tell you… yet."

"Do you want me here?"

Eye still closed, he nodded, "I want you here as long as I am here."

"I… I want to be with you. And I know that you want to be with me… Is there nothing you can do? Do we really have to part ways when this is over?"

Sighing heavily, Auron nodded again, "Yes… we do."

"So… you'll leave me alone?"

Auron looked down at her, "I thought you were passed this…"

Rayne lowered her head even more, burying herself further into his side, "The only reason… I was okay for all of those years was because… I knew that I would see you again."

He looked at her, stunned. He then faced Zanarkand again. "Rayne…"

"Yes?"

"Marry me."

Rayne's body jerked against his. She then pulled away and looked at him with wide eyes, "What?"

He closed his eye, clenching his left hand tightly. He then thrust his hand out, still closed and palm down. Rayne held out her hand beneath it and he opened it, something round, smooth, and warm falling into her hand. Just then, the breeze picked up and Rayne caught a glimpse of silver in the fading sunlight.

Still not looking at her, Auron spoke. "There are many reasons I… can't be with you when all of this is over. But… if I could stay… you are the one I would want to share my life with. You and only you. Rayne… I may not be here… but love me… Marry me."

Rayne could scarcely breathe, "Auron…"

"There wouldn't be a ceremony."

She shook her head, "I never liked ceremonies…"

"Not many would know about it."

"We don't have to tell anyone we don't want to…"

"We really only need one witness, if even that."

"Or none, whatever…"

He smirked slightly, "Your family may not like it."

"My brother can kiss my ass…"

He looked at her, "Rayne… will you?"

She looked at her hand, sliding the silver band onto her ring finger. She then scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, "Auron… I will…"

He sighed and leaned against her, breathing in her scent. Pine and steel… an odd combination. Where did the pine come from? They had not traveled anywhere near a pine forest.

She shook against him, laughter in her throat. "You're thinking."

He frowned, "Pine?"

She thought about it, then shrugged, "No clue. I've… always been that way."

He chuckled and pulled away from her, a smirk on his face, "I remember. You smelled like that when we first arrived in Kilika, when you were unconscious after you used too much magic. I… remember thinking it was odd… yet strangely nice."

She smiled and leaned against him, "Auron…"

He looked down at her, then lifted her face and kissed her. This was how he wanted it to be. He never had to leave… never had to remember… never had to move. He just had to have her near… just had to be with her. For him, that was good enough.

She was thinking the same thing.



Back at the camp, the party was getting a bit suspicious. Their two oldest members had been gone an awfully long time…

"I think Rayne finally snapped and killed him." Tidus said, laughing at the image of a crazy, bloodthirsty Rayne chasing after Auron, hair wild and standing on end.

Rikku looked at where they had gone, "You don't think they're in trouble, do you?"

Wakka laughed, "Lady Rayne and Sir Auron? Nah. Be more worried for the fiends."

Yuna laughed, turning to Lulu, "Don't they look cute together?"

Lulu shook her head and smirked, "They've been quarreling like a married couple since day one."

Kimahri shook his head, remembering all of the pointless arguments the two had had. Auron was always on top of scolding Rayne if she wasn't paying attention, and Rayne always had a snappy comeback. It was like the two of them were children.

Tidus smiled and listened to everyone talk, but was cheerless in his mind. He had a feeling that Auron was keeping a secret from all of them, and he also felt he knew what it was. Tidus wondered how Rayne would handle it…

At that moment, Rayne and Auron walked back into camp, side by side. The group stared at them quietly, then the separate sexes dragged them to separate areas; the women dragging Rayne to one side of the fire and the men dragging Auron to the other.

After a few moments of heated questions, which neither Rayne nor Auron felt it necessary to dignify, Rikku noticed something on Rayne's special finger and squealed. She then babbled in Al Bhed to the other women, who stared at her in confusion. Rikku let out an exasperated scream and lifted Rayne's hand, flashing the simple silver band on her ring finger. Lulu and Yuna gasped and cried. Rayne seethed silently as the women attached themselves to her and cried.

On the men's side, Wakka and Tidus turned to see what the commotion was about. Tidus was the first to figure it out and laughed. Wakka stared at the boy in confusion, then had an epiphany a moment later and began to wildly congratulate Auron, who was also silently seething. Kimahri just shook his head, a smirk on his face.

After several moments, when both of the elder guardians felt they were about to kill their teammates, the group fell silent and somber, as if they suddenly remembered where they were and what they were supposed to be doing.

In the midst of the stillness, Tidus got to his feet and began to walk away from the group. Rayne felt her memory tugging at her and looked around. She then breathed in sharply when she noticed what was going on. Beside her, Auron glanced her way, an understanding look on his face as a few tears ran down her face.

Rayne closed her eyes and heard 'To Zanarkand' begin to play. Eyes still closed, she imagined what was going on around her. Everyone was looking at the fire; Tidus was placing his hand on Yuna's shoulder. She would look up at him and nod, and he would walk passed her. Yuna would follow his movement for a moment, then look back to the fire. Tidus would walk up the small, steep mound and look at what he believed to be his Zanarkand. Then, he would think—

The words echoed in her head.

The words that had been there since the beginning.

"_Listen to my story._

_This… may be out last chance."_

Rayne squinted her eyes, making the image burn away in red. She clenched her hands so tightly her fingernails dug through her gloves and cut into her hands, making them bleed. Rayne wasn't sure what cut more; her nails… or the words that Tidus had spoken silently to himself… and to those he prayed were listening. 'Brother… Sebastian… Heather… Help us. Listen to us.'

Beside her, Auron set his hand on her shoulder and closed his eyes, trying to ease her pain as best he could.



"Hey! There was more, right? I mean like that time… uh… Anyone?" Tidus asked helplessly, trying to buy time he couldn't afford by trying to get the group to remember the funny times of the journey.

Yuna sighed and stood, acknowledging it was time. "I think…"

"Yes?" Tidus asked hopefully, thinking she had another memory to share.

Yuna, though, shook her head, and his face fell. "I think that we should stop… maybe. For now."

The group agrees and gathers their things, leaving Tidus melancholy and fumbling. Yuna, who gathered her few possessions quickly, nodded to the group when they were ready. "Let's go."

Along the path, they ran into few fiends, much to Rayne's disappointment. She wanted this to drag out for as long as possible, not wanting to think of what awaited them in the antechamber.

When they arrived at the center of Zanarkand, they looked up at the blitz stadium. Millions of pyreflies were everywhere, and Rayne could feel them take hold, beckoning her to the abyss.

Wakka shook his head, "Looks like the Farplane."

Auron, who had walked over to Rayne and was supporting her a bit, shook his head, "Close enough."

As they approached the entrance, a man appeared out of nowhere and approached them. He looked at Yuna immediately. "Journeyer of the long road, name yourself."

Yuna stepped forward, bowing, "I am the Summoner Yuna. I have come from the island of Besaid."

The man came closer to her. "Your eyes, my dear. Show me the long road you have traveled." She looked up at him and he looked into her face, taking a minute before nodding. "Very good. You have journeyed well. Lady Yunalesca will surely welcome your arrival. Go to her now, and bring your guardians with you. Go."

They walked passed him and into the entrance of the dome. Rayne glanced back and saw the man break into pyreflies. Inside of the dome, the ran down the path, only to be stopped by a bright flash and two women appearing out of nowhere.

"If it might benefit the future of Spira," Said one woman, "I will gladly give my life. It is the highest honor for which a guardian might ask. Use my life, Lady Yocun, and rid Spira of Sin."

Another flash, and the women were gone.

Rikku backed away, shivering, "What… what was that?"

Auron shook his head, now fully supporting Rayne, "Our predecessors."

Lulu looked at Auron, "She said 'Lady Yocun', didn't she? As in High Summoner Yocun?"

Rayne sighed heavily and stood unsteadily, taking a few steps towards the edge of the stairs and weakly gesturing to the whole of the room. "Those that die here, remain here. Wakka was right in saying that this is 'like' the Farplane, but Auron was also right in saying that his assumption was 'close enough'. This isn't a place of resting souls; this is a place of memories. They will remain here… forever. Don't allow them to delude you."

Auron walked over to her and grabbed her around the waist, turning back to the group, "Think of it as a giant sphere."

Further in, there was another flash. This time, there was a woman, a man behind her, and a child with familiar blue hair…

"No! Mother, no! I don't want you to become a fayth!"

The woman, who Rayne now saw to be Anima, knelt down beside her son and laid her hand on his back, "There is no other way. Use me and defeat Sin. Only then will the people accept you."

Seymour spun around and flung himself into his mother's arms, "I don't care about them! I need you, Mother! No one else!"

Anima shook her head and buried her face into her son's neck, "I don't… have much time left…" Another flash, and they were gone.

"Hey, wasn't that…?" Wakka asked after a stunned moment of silence.

Tidus frowned and shook his head, "Seymour?"

Rayne sighed and looked at the ground, "Anima…"

Even further in, there was another flash. Tidus yelped as his father ran passed him.

"Hey, Braska," The summoner stopped and looked at Jecht, who scratched the back of his neck, "You don't have to do this."

Braska sighed and shook his head, "Thank you for your concern."

"Fine." Jecht dropped his hands and crossed them over his chest, "I've said my piece."

"Well, I haven't!" A younger Auron stepped passed Jecht and looked at Braska imploringly, "Lord Braska, let us go back! I don't want to see you… die!"

The summoner looked at the younger Auron sadly, "You knew this was to happen, my friend."

The younger Auron nodded, "Yes, but I… I cannot accept it."

Much to the younger Auron's surprise, Braska laughed. The smiling summoner looked at his friend, "Auron, I am honored that you care for me so. But I have come to kill grief itself. I will defeat Sin, and lift the veil of sorrow covering Spira. Please understand, Auron."

As the old summoning party moved on, the new one followed them. Braska, Jecht, and Auron stopped outside of the door.

"Are the trials ahead?" Jecht asked.

Braska faced him and nodded, "Probably."

"Here too, huh?" Jecht stretched and groaned, "Gimme a break. I was expecting, you know, parades and… fireworks!"

Braska looked at Jecht solemnly, "You can ask for them after I defeat Sin."

Rayne reached out and grabbed at the three figures as they disappeared in another flash. The group looked at her as she lowered her hand. She sighed and laughed bitterly, "And to think, while I was sulking about their leaving me, they were off dying… making Spira a better place for me… for all of us to live…"

Beside her, Auron tightened his grip around her waist, "Braska and Jecht were… happy to do it."

Rayne shook her head, "I doubt they would be if they could see what Spira has become." She sighed again, then looked forward, "Onward to the Cloister."


	47. Cloister

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Cloister)

Inside of the first part of the trial, the group stood staring, seriously confused. The room was small and bare, there was a black panel at one end, and a door beside it. That was… pretty much it.

Rayne looked up at Auron, "Well…?"

He shook his head, "Figure it out."

She sighed, "Very well. Wakka," The ex-blitzer snapped to attention and looked at her, "Go touch the panel."

Wakka nodded and walked across the floor, hesitantly touching the panel.

The floor, which was made of large black tiles, flashed and lit up. But the lights faded and returned to black. It was just then Rayne noticed that some of the panels were slightly lighter than the rest. On the panel Wakka had just touched, there were several colored lights.

A bit nervous about being alone, Wakka took a step to walk back across the floor and… tripped a mechanism. The first panel he stepped on lit up, as did a few others around it. It made a musical sound, but something wasn't right. As soon as the sound had died, all of the panels flashed and went black, the big panel on the wall also turning off. There was a moment of silence.

"Wakka, what did you do?!" Rayne shouted feebly, teetering and leaning against Auron heavily as more Farplane Sickness got into her system.

The orange-haired guardian jumped and waved his hands, shouting, "I didn' do it!"

Rayne grumbled and rolled her eyes, "Like bloody hell you didn't. Now, suck it up and go touch the stupid panel again, and this time stay were you are!"

A moment later, the floor was flashing again and the group was inspecting it and the panel, trying to figure things out. Rayne quickly grew tired of looking and closed her eyes, dozing lightly against Auron. She wasn't asleep very long before someone let out a triumphant squeal.

"I got it, I got it, I got it!" Rikku laughed, jumping up and down.

"Great," Rayne drawled, looking at the girl, "Then what is it?"

Rikku giggled and jumped out onto the floor, landing on a panel. It lit up, but this one stayed lit. Rikku pumped her arm and threw a victory sign, "YES!"

She then began to jump around on the floor, landing on specific panels and lighting up specific groups. When she was done, the glowing lights on the floor resembled the ones on the wall panel and the door slid open. Rikku skipped back over to Rayne and smiled, "Hehe, that was fun."

Rayne shook her head and smiled, "That's nice. Ready to do it again?"

Rikku tilted her head, "Huh?"

Rayne just shook her head again and pointed to the doorway. Still confused, Rikku ran through the doorway and into the next room. There was a moment of silence, followed by a shrill cry of anguish. The company ran into the next room and deadpanned, Rikku kneeling on the ground and moaning. The next room was four times as big as the last, but the panels on the floor were just as small.

Rikku looked at Rayne with despairing eyes, "You knew!"

Rayne grinned evilly and shrugged, "More of a hunch, really. Ready to get to work?"

After a bit more moaning and groaning on Rikku's part, the Al Bhed girl and Wakka began to solve the puzzle; Wakka did his part pressing the screen and Rikku did hers by jumping from panel to panel, cursing profusely in Al Bhed whenever she messed up.

Several attempts and many emotional breakdowns later (the greatest of which involved Rikku discovering that there was more than one puzzle to do in the large room), the room resonated with a great symphony of music and a lift appeared in the hole in the center of the room. Just as the group approached it, though, everything fell to black.

"Wh-what's going on?" Rikku asked, her voice trembling.

Rayne groaned and shook her head, "Should have guessed that we wouldn't be getting to the Chamber without some form of resistance…"

Rikku looked at Rayne's silhouette, "Huh?"

"Yunalesca's fiend!" Kimahri shouted, pulling out his lance.

As soon as the words had left the Ronso's mouth, there was a great roar, which grew loud enough to shake the room. Lights flashed and Auron disappeared from Rayne's side. Rayne fell to the ground, eyes closed and arms flying forward to shield her face. Even with her eyes closed, she could tell the ground was glowing brightly, so she stood before opening her eyes.

The group was separated, each member standing on their own individual symbols of Yevon. Rayne took out her staff and leaned on it, grateful that it was nearly her height. Around them, the room disappeared and was replaced with a void of tie-dye colors and light. The symbols were spread out in a circular formation Rayne eyed the circular gap inside of their circle warily.

"Keep alert!" She shouted, still staring at the gap.

At that moment, something large and long came flying up through the gap, spiraling to a halt before spreading out. The thing was another fiend, another one of Yunalesca's 'ambassadors of strength'. It looked like another dragon, only this one had no back legs and its front set of arms were long and bent, like a mantis.

"'Ware the Spectral Keeper!" Rayne shouted in a voice she hardly recognized to be hers, "We are in his realm now. He can appear and disappear where he wills it!"

The fiend looked at Rayne and balked, obviously recognizing her. Rayne braced herself for an assault, but the Keeper turned away. She sighed. It wasn't going to attack her. 'This will make it more like a slaughter…'

Rayne's hunch was right. No matter what spell she threw at it, no matter how much she aided its enemies, the Spectral Keeper refused to attack Rayne. And, other that the first time it saw her, the fiend barely glanced Rayne's way, and when it did they were brief and nervous glimpses, as if she would do something if it looked longer.

But it hardly mattered; Rayne felt sorry for the fiend's refusal to attack her, but she knew that she couldn't hold back. And she didn't.

"Flare!"

The Spectral Keeper balked and wailed loudly as Rayne's attack dug into its side, but shook it off quickly and moved took its frustration out on Tidus.

"Protect!"

Tidus was surrounded by a thick shield and the Keeper's nails stopped dead at it. Tidus lunged and sliced the fiend.

"Holy!" The fiend took the attack silently and Rayne shook her head. She lowered her staff and began to plead, "Please, Keeper, please don't lay down your arms against me! Don't force me to butcher you! Fight back!"

The Spectral Keeper shook its massive head violently and lunged out at Lulu, forcing Rayne to throw out another 'Protect' spell.

Rayne shook her head and cast another 'Flare', dealing more damage to the Keeper. Then, suddenly, the Keeper dove out of the circle and disappeared. The party panicked and began to look around frantically, determine to find the creature before it surprised them.

Their efforts, though, were in vain. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"

Rayne looked over to Rikku's symbol with wide eyes, panic and horror blooming in her chest. Rikku was looking up with wide, frightened eyes, her hands grasping at her chest where… The Spectral Keeper had reappeared behind Rikku, and ran her through with one of its spear-like limbs.

The Keeper roared and yanked its arm back, pulling the spear projection out of Rikku's body quickly. Rikku's legs buckled beneath her and she collapsed on the ground, blood pooling around her.

Rayne felt herself go numb and everything around her slowed. The Keeper's movement seemed exaggerated as it rose up over Rikku and dove back into its little circle in the center. Rayne looked down at her hand, which seemed to be moving at normal speed, but the moving symbols on the platform beneath her were slow.

She heard the warped shouts of the others around her and looked up. Tidus was waving his sword at her, trying to say something, but his words were coming out too slow to discern. Rayne looked back at the Spectral Keeper, watching its slow movements. Then, it hit her.

She realized she wasn't having a moment of enhanced awareness, but she was under the effects of a status change. She was under 'Haste'. Rayne looked back at Rikku, now noticing that the girl's hand was thrown out in her direction. Rikku must have used an item on Rayne before the Keeper had gotten her.

Brushing off the oddness of the side effects, Rayne turned back to the Keeper and focused on it, waving her staff. "Oblivion!"

The Keeper shuddered, then roared, arching its neck and clawing at its head. Taking advantage of the creature's distracted state, Rayne turned to Rikku and waved her staff again, "Life!" When Rikku began to stir, Rayne shouted, "Curaga!"

Rikku stilled and let the healing waves wash over her, then jumped to her feet and threw a grenade at the Keeper. Because all of this was in slow-motion to Rayne, she had already turned back and released three consecutive 'Thundaga' spells on the creature.

After several moments of the company hammering away at its health, the Spectral Keeper fell over, its head on Rayne's platform. The realm around them faded and the Keeper began to dissolve into pyreflies.

Kneeling down beside it, Rayne picked up the Keeper's massive head and set it in her lap. Its eyes flickered beneath its lids and then opened, looking up at her.

"She has… long awaited your coming…" The Spectral Keeper murmured, vanishing completely.

When Rayne stood, she found the company staring at her. "Um," Yuna began after a moment, "Did the Spectral Keeper just… talk to you?"

Rayne nodded, "It did."

Tidus cocked his head, "What did it mean 'she has long awaited your coming'? Who was it talking about?"

Rayne sighed and frowned, closing her eyes, "I would think that obvious. Now, are you going, Yuna?" To accentuate her words, Rayne pushed Yuna towards the platform.

Yuna stopped and stared at the platform. She seemed to loose herself for a moment.

Grabbing Rayne as she fell sideways, Auron repositioned himself and said, "Yuna…" This seemed to snap the girl out of it, and she looked at her guardian. He nodded, "We are here."

Yuna nodded solemnly, "The hall of the Final Summoning…"

Auron nodded again, "Go."

"Yes." Yuna stepped onto the platform and sank into the darkness.

"Rayne," Auron said, looking down at her, "Are you prepared… for what you will face in there?"

Hardly caring that everyone else was now listening, Rayne closed her eyes and nodded, "I've been ready for twenty-nine years, ever since I was reborn. I just… needed a nudge to go back, and I am here now." She opened her eyes and looked at the hole, "I only hope… I can handle it."

Auron nodded. "As do I."

Rayne smiled. Auron wasn't going to delude her, and that made her love him all the more. They both knew and were willing to admit that things might not go well…

There was a flash, and Rayne opened her eyes to face another flashback. Braska and a ghost platform were at the top, and Jecht and the younger Auron were looking at the summoner in confusion.

"Huh?" Jecht exclaimed, "What do you mean 'no Final Aeon'?!"

Just then, Yuna rose back to the top, taking her father's position as he disappeared, shaking his head. Yuna was also shaking her head. "Sir Auron! Everyone!"

The company all ran onto the platform, all of them hoping that what Jecht had said wasn't true. When Auron made no move to give them any reassurance, they began to panic. At the bottom of the lift, they ran into the next room, Tidus, Rayne, and Auron leaving the platform last.

In a quick movement, Rayne reached out and pushed Tidus against the save point she saw glowing in the darkness, and felt a quick moment of vertigo. She knew Michael had saved, and she was satisfied that Tidus barely noticed what she had done.

Inside of the Chamber of the Fayth, Yuna was standing on the opposite side of door and gesturing down to the statue hopelessly, "This isn't a fayth. It's just an empty statue." She jumped five feet into the air and spun around, the wall behind her dematerializing to a blue swirling vortex and the old man that had greeted them walking out.

He looked down at the old statue sadly, "That statue lost its power as a fayth long ago. It is Lord Zaon, the first fayth of the Final Summoning. What you see before you is all that remains of him. Lord Zaon is… his soul is gone."

"Gone?!" Wakka shouted.

Rayne sighed heavily and shook her head, "He was here for so long. It's no surprise that he… faded. His restraints probably weakened, and he passed on of his own accord."

"Y-you mean," Rikku said after a moment of silence, "You mean, there is no Final Aeon?"

"Fear not," The old man said, "Lady Yunalesca will show you the path. The Final Aeon shall be yours. The summoner and the Final Aeon will join powers. Go to her now. Inside, the lady awaits." The old man preformed the Yevon prayer, then vanished.

Yuna took a step towards the blue spiral, then paused. She turned to Rayne. "You said that Lord Zaon must have passed on, but why hasn't Lady Yunalesca?"

Rayne frowned. "It's… difficult to explain. You see…," She shook her head and sighed, "The bonds that hold the fayth are strong, and are reliant on both the magic and the will of those of Yevon. Eventually… the magic will wane, and the wills will forget what they are supposed to be holding. When the fayth's bindings are… loose enough, and are loose for a long time, the fayth may… forget why it was there and choose to pass on.

"Yunalesca, on the other hand," She continued, "Is held by more than the magic's and wills of others. Yunalesca is an unsent, and therefore has her own magic and will to keep her where she is. If she can keep herself focused enough, it isn't surprising that she could stay here for a thousand years." She paused, then shrugged, "A bit of help from Yevon probably didn't hurt, either."

Yuna nodded, frowning, "How do you know this?"

Rayne sighed and closed her eyes, "All in due time, baby…"

After staring at her guardian for a moment, Yuna turned and began to walk to the portal.

"Yuna, wait!" Yuna stopped and turned back as Tidus turned to glare at Auron. "Auron, you knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

Auron nodded. "Yes."

"Oooo!" Rikku stomped her foot, "Why didn't you tell us?!"

Auron shrugged, "If I had told you the truth, would that really have stopped you from coming?"

There was silence, and Yuna sighed and began to move towards the portal.

"Yuna." Kimahri said.

She paused, not looking at them, "I am not going back."

The Ronso nodded, "Kimahri knows. Kimahri go first. Yuna is safe. Kimahri protect."

Yuna turned, smiling and nodding to the Ronso. As Kimahri walked towards the portal, Yuna looked at Rayne, "If you… do not wish to confront her… then you can…"

"Yuna." Rayne interrupted sharply, glaring, "Your father was a great man and one of my best friends, but don't you do to me what he did. I will never forgive you if you do."

Yuna nodded, "As you wish." She turned back to the portal.

"Wait!" They all turned and glared at Tidus, who scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Can we… go use the blue sphere real quick?"

Rayne frowned, "Why? It's just Yunalesca we're going to see."

"Uh huh, yeah, I know," Tidus nodded, "But… I think that… in order for us to protect Yuna properly… we should be ready to protect her against anything… and—"

"Ya, ya, we get your point." Wakka took a few steps towards the doorway, "Come on, I could use a Grid upgrade, anyways."

Back in the cramped room, Rayne sat on the edge of the railing surrounding the lift and poked at her Grid, relishing the warm feeling it gave her whenever her stats improved. When she was done, she walked over to Auron and leaned against the wall beside him, eyes half lidded, "You know, Auron, a thought just struck me."

Auron, staring down at his Grid with rapt focus, took a moment giving his monosyllabic answer, "Hm?"

Rolling her eyes, Rayne snatched the Grid out of his hands and began to work on it, herself, "I don't think I really have Farplane Sickness."

Auron looked at her, his face stuck between a glare, annoyance, and a cocked brow, "Oh?"

She nodded, taking a brief moment to scan the room and make sure that none of the others were listening. Satisfied that they were all preoccupied, she turned back to Auron's Grid and held out her hand. "I think that what I am feeling is the pyreflies around me trying to call me back to my fayth form. Spheres."

Auron reached into his sleeve and pulled out his bag of spheres, handing it to her. "What makes you think that?"

Rayne shrugged, placing a few spheres onto the Grid, "Whenever I am around a high concentration of pyreflies that used to be the people I knew back in Zanarkand, I hear voices. Any other time, I just get drowsy."

Auron frowned, "'Voices'?"

She nodded, quoting a few, "'Come back to us', 'You must remember'… The same general crap over and over again. Here." She handed his Grid back.

"I suppose that it would be understandable for them to haunt you," Auron said, looking over his new stats, "After all, they haven't seen you for some time. …Why is my magic defense stat so low?"

Rayne smiled evilly, "To make up for my low strength stat." When he glared at her, she laughed, "Just kidding, kidding. Here, let me see it and I'll fix it." He handed it back to her and she continued talking, "I can see what you mean, though. I may have only been gone nineteen years Earthen time, but I was gone about a thousand years Spiran time. Even for fayth, that's a long time. There, fixed."

"Thank you." Auron said, taking the Grid back and looking it over.

She nodded, then shook her head and closed her eyes, "I wonder… what she'll say…"

"You all ready now?" Wakka called out.

Auron shrugged, talking to Rayne, "I guess you're about to find out."


	48. The Lady Yunalesca

Okay, just as a forewarning, more irrationally powerful magic use, but remember, Rayne is still unstable.

Enjoy.

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(The Lady Yunalesca)

Back in the Chamber, Kimahri turned to Yuna and nodded, then turned to the portal and walked through. Yuna followed. Auron and Rayne (who really didn't want to go next but didn't have much of a choice seeing as she was being supported by Auron) walked in next.

Rayne stared around the room in a daze as the rest followed. There was a moment of silence, broken by Rikku shouting, "Someone's coming!"

A breeze picked up and hundreds of pyreflies swirled into and around the room. At the staircase in front of the party, a woman appeared and looked down upon them with a smile.

There were gasps, and Yuna bowed, "Lady Yunalesca."

"Welcome to Zanarkand," Yunalesca said smiling, sweeping her arms out around her. She then turned to Yuna. "I congratulate you, summoner. You have completed your pilgrimage. I will now bestow upon you that which you seek. The Final Summoning… will be yours. Now, choose," She walked down the stairs, gesturing to the guardians around Yuna, "You must choose the one whom I will change… to become the fayth for the Final Summoning."

Everyone except Rayne and Auron gasped. Auron just stared ahead stonily and Rayne closed her eyes and lowered her head. So far, she was glad Yunalesca hadn't looked at her.

"There must be a bond," Yunalesca continued, "Between chosen and summoner, for that is what the Final Summoning embodies: the bond between husband and wife," Yunalesca wavered at this, "mother and child," Rayne flinched, "or between friends." The whole party shuddered, but Yunalesca pushed on, "If that bond is strong enough, its light will conquer Sin. A thousand years ago… I… chose my husband, Zaon, as my fayth. Our bond was true and, with the help of my old guardian, Rayne, who is now among you," Rayne flinched and kept her eyes closed, feeling the stares of everyone in the room upon her. Yunalesca continued, "I was able to obtain the Final Aeon."

There was silence, and Yunalesca spoke in a soothing voice, "There is nothing to fear. You will soon be freed of worry and pain. For, once you call the Final Aeon, your life will end. Death is the ultimate and final liberation. Your father, Braska, chose this path."

She turned and walked away to leave the group to their deliberation, but paused at the top. She turned back, addressing Rayne, "Rayne, I would speak with you."

Rayne immediately pulled away from Auron and bowed, "As you wish." She walked away from the party and up the stairs, all worry and doubt fleeing her mind as she looked upon the one whom she had first served.

"Rayne!"

She stopped and looked back. The party was staring at her with wide eyes. Yuna was on the edge of crying. "Rayne, please!"

Rayne sighed and shook her head, "There is no other way, Yuna. The Final Summoning is all we have." She looked down on the young summoner with half lidded eyes, "Make your choice, Yuna." She turned to walk out of the room, but was stopped by the voice of Auron.

The younger Auron, to be exact, "It is not too late! Let us turn back!"

Rayne turned to find the three ghosts of her old friends at the foot of the stairs. She watched the scene play out, Yunalesca at some point leaving the room. Both the ancient summoner and the old guardian knew. Rayne would come eventually.

When the ghosts had finished their scene, Jecht and Braska walked passed Rayne. The younger Auron fell to his knees, and the older Auron came up behind him, taking out his sword and slicing at his ghost over and over, screaming at himself. He then looked up at Rayne with eyes full of anguish, "And the cycle went on."

Rayne went to comfort him, but was stopped when Tidus exclaimed, "Then we'll break it."

Rayne clenched her hands and turned, walking through the door and to Yunalesca. She was in a large room, walking up the stairs of a large stone balcony. Around her were stars, and before her was a large, glowing symbol. 'How could that foolish boy ever hope to break it…'

"He loves her." Rayne looked up at Yunalesca, who stood on the symbol. Yunalesca shrugged, "There have been those who have hoped to break the never-ending chain with their love. None of them have succeeded, though." Yunalesca shrugged and dropped the subject, choosing to smile at Rayne, instead, "It has been some time, Rayne."

Rayne nodded and bowed, "Too long, my Lady. I am sorry for making you wait."

The summoner shrugged, "To we who have the eternity to look forward to, what is a thousand years? I am just happy that you kept your promise. So, tell me, what became of you?"

"I joined the masses at the peak of Gagazet and became a fayth for the dream." Rayne shrugged, "After Zanarkand fell and you died, I wasn't sure what else to do."

"I know," Yunalesca said, "I felt you there, in the dream. I kept an eye on you." She paused, then continued, "You were there for a short time, then… left. You disappeared from my sight. Where did you go?"

Rayne thought about it, answering hesitantly, "I think… I dreamed myself into another reality. The Zanarkand that we created… held no appeal to me like the old one did, so my mind wandered. Somehow, I ended up out of this world and into another. Something happened and I was… reborn."

"And yet you returned. How?"

"Bahamut." Yunalesca blinked and Rayne nodded, "He and the rest of the aeon fayth brought me back. They told me it was time I woke up to the truth."

Yunalesca nodded, "To who you used to be…"

Rayne nodded, "Yes."

Yunalesca blinked, then turned to the door, "They come." She frowned, "All of them…"

Rayne turned back as the door opened and the group ran in. They looked around them in awe, then turned to the ancient summoner and her old guardian.

Yunalesca spoke up, "Have you chosen the one to become your fayth? Who will it be?"

Yuna stepped forward and bowed hesitantly, "Might I… ask something first?" When Yunalesca nodded her head, Yuan continued, "Will Sin come back, even should I use the Final Summoning to defeat it?"

Yunalesca took a deep breath, "Sin is eternal. Every aeon that defeats it becomes Sin in its place… And thus Sin is reborn."

Tidus shook his head, "So that's why Jecht became Sin."

Yunalesca nodded, "Sin is an inevitable part of Spira's destiny. It is never-ending."

"N-never-ending?" Wakka stuttered, "But… but… if we atone for our crimes, Sin will stop coming back, ya? Someday, it'll be gone, ya?"

Rayne sighed and shook her head, "Will humanity ever attain such purity?" Yunalesca nodded in agreement.

"This," Lulu began, astounded, "This cannot be!" She looked between the two ancient women before her. "The teachings state that we can exorcise Sin with complete atonement! It's been our only hope all these years!"

"Hope is… comforting." Yunalesca stated, choosing her words carefully, "It allows is to accept fate, however tragic it might be."

"No!"

"No!"

Tidus and the younger Auron ran forward, the former stopping as the latter confronted a ghostly Yunalesca.

"Where is the sense in all this?!" The younger Auron demanded, "Braska believed in Yevon's teachings and died for them! Jecht believed in Braska and gave his life for him!"

"They chose to die… because they had hope." The ghost Yunalesca said.

"RRRRAAAAHHHGGG!" The younger Auron charged at the ghost Yunalesca, who flicked her wrist and hit him with a blast of energy. Rayne watched numbly as the younger Auron flew backwards, dragging across the ground painfully. His sword stabbed the ground beside him. As the image faded, the old hole where the sword had been was clear… as were the blood stains.

Yunalesca shook her head, "Yevon's teachings and the Final Summoning give the people of Spira hope. Without hope, they would drown in their sorrow. Now, choose. Who will become your fayth? Who will renew Spira's hope?"

There was a moment of silence.

"No one." Yunalesca balked and Rayne continued to watch numbly as Yuna stepped forward. "I… would have gladly died. I… live for the people of Spira, and would have gladly died for them. But… no more! The Final Summoning… is a false tradition that should be thrown away!" The girl declared passionately.

Yunalesca seemed shocked, "No. It is our only hope. Your father sacrificed himself to give hope to the people. So they would forget their sorrow."

"Wrong!" Yuna shook her head, "My father… my father wanted… to make Spira's sorrow go away. Not just cover it up with lies!"

Yunalesca looked upon Yuna pityingly, "Sorrow cannot be abolished. It is meaningless to try." Rayne looked upon her old summoner and saw her for what she was; a broken woman. The passionate Yunalesca… had died with Zaon.

"My father," Yuna continued with a smile, "I… loved him. So I… I will live with my sorrow. I will live my own life! I will defeat sorrow in his place. I will stand and be strong. I… don't know when it'll be… but someday… I will conquer it. And I will do it without… false hope."

Yunalesca shook her head, "Poor creature. You would throw away hope. Well…" Rayne could almost hear the battle music commence, "I will free you before you can drown in your sorrow. It is better for you to die in hope than live in despair." She raised her hands and magic and pyreflies swirled around her. "Let me be your liberator!" She rose up into the air.

Rayne looked back to the company as Auron stepped forward. "Now! This is it!" He shouted, looking at each of the children he had helped grow, "Now is the time to choose!" He looked at Rayne, "Die and be free of pain, or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!"

Rayne looked at each of her friends as they spoke.

Kimahri. "Yuna needs Kimahri. Kimahri protect Yuna!"

Rikku. "Well, I'm fighting!"

Wakka and Lulu. "I can't believe we're gonna fight Lady Yunalesca! Gimme a break!"

Lulu looked at him, "You can always run."

Wakka grinned, "Hah! I'd never forgive myself — no way! Not if I ran away now! Even in death, ya!"

Lulu grinned. "My thoughts exactly."

Tidus. "Yuna! This is our story! Now, let's see this thing through together!"

Yuna… She nodded and smiled at Tidus. She then looked at Rayne.

Rayne… She looked between Yunalesca and Yuna. Two worlds… one choice… who does she serve? Her first summoner? Or… the one who became her family? Where did her allegiance lie? The past… or the future?

"RAYNE!!"

Rayne blinked and looked between the two battling summoners, the younger of whom was calling out to her.

Yunalesca shook her head, smiling at Yuna. "There is no point, daughter of Braska. Rayne knows where she belongs, whom she is to serve. She has been bound to one and only one since the beginning; the fate of this battle has already been decided, and she belongs to the winning side."

Rayne clenched her hands, closing her eyes.

_Yunalesca…_

_My Lady,_

_My friend,_

_The princess of Zanarkand,_

_Mother of the Final Summon,_

_The first summoner I swore allegiance to…_

_My past._

_Yuna…_

_My daughter,_

_My baby,_

_The little girl from Besaid,_

_The one whom I have raised and supported the longest,_

_My current summoner…_

_The future._

Rayne's eyes snapped open. 'That's it…'

She looked at the battle, eyes flashing between the two summoners. 'Yunalesca was right. Since the beginning of this journey, my journey of acceptance, I have been bound to one and only one. I have been serving her all along, finding my way to her, finding my way back to where I belong.'

"Death!" Yunalesca shouted, pointing at Yuna.

The ancient summoner's aim was dead on. This attack would finish Yuna. The company watched in horror. Yunalesca smiled.

Then, it stopped. The attack landed. It hadn't wavered, and struck where it was directed. But, it hadn't done what it was intended to do.

Rayne stood before Yuna, staff raised. A green shield was pouring from the staff. A 'Shell'.

"You are right, Yunalesca." Rayne said, her staff slicing through the air as she banished the shield. "I do know where I belong."

Ω

_Rayne and Yunalesca sat on the roof of the large mansion of Yevon, looking up at the stars._

"_Rayne."_

_Rayne looked over at the summoner, "Yes, My Lady?"_

"_I have… the oddest feeling… that Zanarkand will not end the war." Yunalesca smoothed out her robe, a frown between her brows, "And I fear that… Zaon and I will not be able to enjoy life together for as long as we might like."_

"_You shouldn't think such things, My Lady," Rayne observed, looking at her summoner worryingly, "You will make yourself sick."_

_Yunalesca nodded, "I know." She paused, then looked back up at the stars, "Do you suppose… that Zanarkand is already fated to fall?"_

_Rayne blinked, "The question… of destiny versus choice is one that has long been debated, My Lady."_

"_Which do you believe, Rayne?"_

"_I believe," Rayne said slowly, choosing her words, "In time."_

_Yunalesca looked at her guardian curiously, "Time?"_

_Rayne nodded. "Time… is a very powerful thing, My Lady. After all, the existence of everything in both large and small perspectives is only possible in a specific amount of time. When all things pass, or before all things are born, there is time. It always has been, and always will be. If you can accept that, then you can face anything that comes your way. Fate and choice are fickle things, which can be wrong. But, in the end, there is time."_

_Yunalesca was silent for a moment. "So, you have let time direct your path?"_

_Rayne shrugged. "That's one way of putting it. I like to think of it as… I am always moving forward."_

Ω

Yunalesca looked at Rayne with wide eyes. "You are always moving forward…"

"Time passes, My Lady," Rayne said, spinning her staff and summoning a ring of spells, "Time is always moving forward… to the future. You… and the way you think… Yuna, and the way she thinks… Of the two, Yuna is the current, the moving. Yuna is the future." Rayne closed her eyes and held her spells at ready, "And time passes… moves forward… to the future."

Yunalesca began to tremble, "To the future…"

Rayne nodded, opening her eyes, "These things of 'destiny' and 'choice' are fickle… but there is always time, My Lady."

Yunalesca nodded, eyes still wide and body still trembling, "And you… have chosen time."

"You said it yourself, My Lady," Rayne smiled serenely, "I belong to the winning side."

Yunalesca stopped all of her movement and lowered her head, her eyes becoming shadowed, "You… choose them."

"The choice between hope and sorrow," Rayne spoke, her spells charging, "Between lies and truth, between weakness and strength, between faith and progress, between past and future… they are all linked." Rayne lifted her staff, "And they shall all play out in due time. All you can do, My Lady, is play your part, and see how things come to pass."

"You choose them." Yunalesca repeated, eyes still shadowed.

Rayne sighed, "That… is self-evident."

Yunalesca clenched her hands, "First… you kill my husband…"

"It had to be done."

The ancient summoner continued, unperturbed, "Then… you abandoned me…"

"You died."

Yunalesca continued, still not listening, "And now… you choose them… over me…"

"I moved with the flow of time… and moved on."

Yunalesca's head snapped up, her eyes blazing. "TRAITOR!!" She lifted her hand and slashed it violently, "GRAVIJA!"

Rayne spun in a circle, her staff slicing through the air. "ULTIMA!!"

The sides were decided. The battle had begun.


	49. Of the Past and the Future

"_This is the Ultimate Showdown_

_Of Ultimate Destiny,_

_Good guys, bad guys, and explosions,_

_As far as the eye can see,_

_And only one will survive,_

_I wonder who it will be?_

_This is the Ultimate Showdown…_

_Of Ultimate Destiny._"

For those of you who get this… forgive me. :) I just couldn't help it.

Anyway, I decided to do something a little different with the overdrives this time around… and if people don't like it I'll try to refrain from doing it again. No promises, though. I often don't really know what I write until after I write it, and I rarely go back to change it because if I do it turns out like crap.

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(P.S. I have read and did enjoy Demon Diary, for those of you who may wonder. If you don't understand this reference, don't worry about it. It's just a bit of a disclaimer.)

(Of the Past and the Future)

"HOLY!"

"METEOR!"

It was all the rest of the party could do to avoid the paths of the powerful spells that were being exchanged between Rayne and Yunalesca. The summoner seemed to be in a blind rage while Rayne, for once, was simply using her magic, even if it was at a higher level than she should have been able to.

"FLARE!"

"MULTI-FLARE!!"

"REFLECT!!" Rayne and Yuna screamed at the same time, the dual shields straining beneath the barrage of 'Flare' attacks. Eventually, the shields broke and Rayne felt the blows of two of the ten 'Flare' spells.

"Rayne?! Curaga!" Yuna shouted, waving her stave.

"Yuna! Rayne! Look out! Firaga!" Lulu exclaimed, jumping in and casting several spells.

Yunalesca was caught unawares by the spells of Yuna and Lulu, having forgotten that they were there. The rest of the party took advantage of the ancient summoner's fluke and lunged at her, unleashing their own attacks.

Rayne came to after a few healing spells and jumped to her feet, eyes blazing. But, she was stopped by Yuna jumping in front of her and spreading her arms, "Please, Rayne! Don't encourage large-scale attacks; we need to be able to help you, too."

The flames in Rayne's eyes died and she laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head, "Hehe, oops. Sorry, Yuna."

Yuna giggled and shook her head, "No problem. Now, are you ready, my guardian?"

Rayne nodded and smiled, "Let's go." They both jumped back into the battle, rods waving and magic flying.

After several moments of battling, Yunalesca stopped attacking and leaned over. She glared at the party and hissed, "I will not be defeated so easily…" Pyreflies surrounded her and she began to transform. Something rose out of the ground from behind her and attached to her back, whereupon it lifted her into the air. Thick black tendrils ran from her back and down, down into the ground.

"I will free you from your prisons!" Yunalesca cried.

"BLIZZAGA!" Rayne aimed the attack at the thick tendrils, freezing some of them. As Yunalesca cried out, Rayne shouted, "The only one who is a prisoner here is you, Yunalesca! You're a prisoner of your own delusions!"

"Wh-what?!" The ancient summoner gasped through gritted teeth.

Rayne shook her head and threw another attack at her old summoner, "You are no longer the person you once were. The old you would have never sullied herself to dooming summoners to the same fate she herself was forced to suffer, and you know that!"

"What was Zaon's death to you?!" Yunalesca cried, throwing a poisonous tentacle at Rayne, "You were the one who was so ready to volunteer to kill him!"

"IT HAD TO BE DONE AND YOU KNOW IT!" Rayne screamed, scorching Yunalesca with a 'Firaga' spell. "Back then, we didn't have the time to try and figure out another way to defeat Sin! All we could do was kill it the most obvious way before it swallowed all of Spira whole!"

Yunalesca grabbed her head and began to scream, more pyreflies surrounding her. She transformed again, this time her body falling backwards and the tentacles rising out of the ground, a giant head with flashing eyes and a jeweled tongue taking her place.

"Yuna!" Rayne called, "Finish this thing!"

Yuna summoned Valefor, starting her off by using her overdrive. As soon as Valefor's overdrive was spent, the giant head Yunalesca killed her.

"Ifrit!" The hellhound rose from the ground and managed to use his 'Hellfire' once before Yunalesca killed him, too.

The unicorn Ixion was next, and he actually managed to use his overdrive twice before Yunalesca finally managed to kill him, thanks to his high evasion. Then, things started to get heavy.

"Shiva! Use 'Diamond Dust'!"

The ice jinn raised her hands and attacked, carving a hole out of Yunalesca's health. Shiva then ran forward and kicked the rebounding summoner, catching her off guard and dealing more damage.

"'Heavenly Strike'!" Yuna called.

Shiva raised her hand over her head and slashed it in a downward motion, a giant ball of ice following the movement and crashing into Yunalesca.

Before Yuna could call out another command, Yunalesca rose up over the giant head and waved her hand. "Multi-Flare!" There was nothing Yuna could do, and Shiva was 'overkill'ed by the onslaught of fire.

Then, just as Yuna was about to summon another aeon, Yunalesca rose again and threw a blast of energy at the young summoner, striking her in the chest and knocking her out. Rayne and Auron jumped forward to take her place, Rayne shouting over her shoulder, "Revive her as quickly as you can!" She then turned back to the giant head and ran at it, taking her staff and slashing at the eyes.

The head screeched, the remaining eye rolling wildly. The jewel on the tongue glowed and an odd colored gas poured out of the mouth, surrounding the two guardians. Rayne and Auron coughed, Rayne lifting her staff and wheezing, "A-aer-ro." A wind picked up around them and dispersed the gas, allowing the two guardians to go back to attacking.

Yunalesca rose again and waved her hand, "Curaga."

The spell hit Auron and he growled, dropping to his knee. Rayne looked over at him, noticing the green tint to his skin. Auron noticed, as well. He pulled himself back to his feet, "She did something to us that gave us a similar status as 'Zombie'."

Rayne hissed and gritted her teeth as a 'Curaga' spell hit her, burning her skin. "Would a 'Holy Water' work?" She ducked to avoid another 'Curaga' spell and threw a 'Thundaga' back.

"I don't think so." Auron dodged an energy blast and attacked with a 'Magic Break', returning a moment later, "I think we should try a 'Remedy'." When Rayne had dug one out, Auron said, "Use it on me, first."

Rayne frowned and looked at him, throwing out her staff to deflect a 'Water', "Why you? Wouldn't it be a bit more strategic to use it on me?"

Auron just rolled his eyes and growled, "Just do it, already."

Rayne shrugged, "Whatever you say." She uncorked the Remedy and threw it to him. He caught it and downed it.

They waited a few moments, dodging and attacking. When they saw no results, Rayne frowned, "Did it work?"

Auron shrugged, "I'm no—"

"Curaga!"

Yunalesca's healing spell hit Auron. He looked down at his arm, watching as one of the lesser wounds there was healed. Auron looked up at Rayne and shrugged, "I guess it did."

"Hey! We got Yuna back up and healed!"

Rayne and Auron turned and ran back as Yuna ran forward and summoned Bahamut. Back among the rest of the party, Rayne took out a Remedy and downed it, gagging a bit at the sour taste. "Jeez, you'd think they'd come up with better tastes for this crap."

Auron chuckled and handed her his alcohol, "You'd think."

Tidus watched curiously as Rayne took a quick swig of the drink. "Hey, can I try some?"

Rayne snarled and handed the jug back to Auron, "Boy, even if we are teetering on the brink of death, there is no way in hell I'm about to encourage under aged drinking."

Tidus scowled, "I'm not underage!"

"Back where I come from, the standard drinking age is 21, and even then that's pushing it." Rayne berated, frowning.

Auron rolled his eyes, "Do you two have to be having this argument now?!"

The three turned back to the fight just in time to see Yojimbo fall. Rayne sighed and rolled her shoulders, "Looks like we're on our own, now. Let's go all out, guardians!"

They ran back into the brawl and surrounded their summoner, attacks and overdrives coming more easily. When Rayne, Wakka, and Lulu flashed simultaneously, Lulu shouted, "Rayne! 'Thundara!' Wakka, 'Water'!"

"Come hither, my loyal servant!" Anaxagoras flashed and the stone turned into a garnet. The female thunder element rose, her bow held at ready.

"Voltage Bolt!"

"Elemental Reels! Water!"

"Waterga Fury!"

The three attacks met mid-flight and, driven by Wakka's blitzball, struck the giant head between the eyes. The head rolled to the side, good eye crossed and tongue lolling more than usual. Yunalesca began to call to it to wake up. The company took full advantage of the heads unconscious status and began to attack relentlessly.

Rayne flashed red again, as did Auron. She looked over at him, "You wanna try?"

Auron smirked and nodded, "Go for 'Fira'."

Rayne nodded and spun her staff, "Come hither, my loyal servant." The flaming humanoid took one look at Auron and nodded, holding out his flaming sword. Auron accepted the sword and handed over his katana, which ignited and began to blaze in the humanoids hands. They then both turned back to Yunalesca and ran forward, Auron stopping partway and jumping into the air.

"Dragon Fang Fury!"

"Ronin Bonfire Blade!"

The combined flaming sword attacks brought the head back to consciousness, but brought Yunalesca down to her last leg.

Tidus and Yuna flashed red, and they both looked at each other, nodding. Tidus walked over to Yuna and held out Brotherhood, which Yuna laid her stave on. The young summoner then reached out and grabbed the sword by the hilt, keeping a hand on her stave. Tidus brought his other arm around Yuna to place his hand on top of the one she had holding her stave. They both raised the blade and stave, together, and pointed it at the giant headed Yunalesca.

"Holy Blade!"

A pure white light surrounded the two weapons, fading a moment later to reveal a tripped out gleaming sword of white gold. A beam of bluish-white energy shot from the tip and struck the giant head, boring through the forehead and burning it from the inside out.

A bright light poured from the eyes and mouth of the head, growing brighter and brighter until it forced the party to turn away. When they looked back, the burning remains of the giant head were breaking apart into pyreflies.

Yunalesca crawled out of the flaming residue of her magic and fell over at the edge of the glowing symbol, coughing heavily. Rayne ran over to her and knelt down beside her, cradling the summoner's upper body against herself.

"My Lady…"

Yunalesca coughed again, looking up at Rayne with half-lidded eyes, "If… if I die… so does the Final Aeon. (cough) And w-wi (cough) with it…, Spira's hope."

Rayne shook her head and sighed, "Oh, My Lady…"

Tidus raised and clenched his hand, "Then we'll find Spira a new hope!"

Yunalesca smirked grimly, coughing, "Fool. There is no other way. Even… even if there was… (cough) Even if you destroy Sin… Yu Yevon, the immortal, would only create Sin anew."

Tidus frowned, "Yu Yevon?"

Yunalesca sighed wistfully and looked up at the starry sky above her, "Ah… Zaon… Forgive me… Spira has been robbed of the light of hope… All that remains is sorrow…"

Rayne shook her head and stoked Yunalesca's cheek as the ancient summoner began to disappear, "My Lady… I swear to you… I will not rest until both Sin and Yevon are gone, and Zaon is avenged. Even if I, myself, must become an unsent to assure that it is done, they both will fall."

The fading Yunalesca looked up at Rayne placidly. Then, as her upper body began to dissolve, she raised her hand, which was already transparent, and touched Rayne's right temple with two fingers. There was a flash of light, and Rayne suddenly felt lighter. Yunalesca let her hand drop and dissolve, "I have… released the shackles that were placed on your third level overdrives. In order to use them, you must go to each of the aeon temples and add their symbol to the necklace you have been given. Good… luck…" The rest of Yunalesca dissolved.

There was a moment of silence. Then, Yuna's trembling voice spoke up, "I… cannot believe what we just did…"

"Let's do something more unbelievable."

Rayne stood and Rikku turned to Tidus, "What?"

Tidus raised his hand and clenched it, "Destroy Sin. So it won't come back, and without the Final Aeon." He put his hand on his hip and shook his head, "I don't know how just yet. But I'll find out." He smiled.

Rayne shook her head and laughed, "Jecht's son to the end."

As they walked out of the room, Auron stopped Tidus and Rayne in the anteroom, "We must talk."

Rayne stood silent and waited and Tidus groaned, "What."

"There is… something you should know. Both of you." He looked at Rayne seriously, but actually seemed a bit hesitant.

Rayne frowned, 'What on Spira?..."

Tidus, though, nodded, "I know…. it's about you right?"

Rayne sighed, 'Even he knows before me… what the hell?'

Auron nodded, also seeming a bit surprised. He was silent for a moment, then sighed, "I am… also an unsent." He turned to Tidus, deliberately not looking at Rayne, "You are not surprised?"

Rayne hardly cared that Auron was now avoiding her eyes. She was too busy having an out-of-body experience. Auron? Her fiancée? An unsent? …How… how could he have never… told her?

"I think I kinda knew." Tidus was saying, "It was Yunalesca, wasn't it?"

Auron nodded, still not looking at Rayne, but still speaking to her in part. "When Braska and Jecht died defeating Sin… I just couldn't accept it. I came back here… tried to avenge them. But she struck me down. Somehow I made my way, crawling, down Mount Gagazet. But my strength left me just outside Bevelle. That's where Kimahri found me. I told him about Yuna… just before I died." Rayne closed her eyes, refusing to cry. Auron noticed this, but continued. "I've been wandering ever since, never going to the Farplane."

Rayne could hear the pity in Tidus' voice, "Auron…"

Rayne could imagine Auron scowling as he growled back, "Don't make that face. Being dead has its advantages. I was able to ride Sin and go to your Zanarkand."

"And you've been watching me ever since, haven't you?" Tidus asked, a note of disbelief and sympathy in his voice, "Why? What's the big idea? Why me?"

Eyes still closed, Rayne could still feel Tidus looking at her. She could imagine what he was thinking. 'Why me? Why not the girl who loved you so much?'

"It is one of those things that is… difficult to explain. Very well, I will show you." Rayne opened her eyes and watched Auron kneel. Pyreflies came out of his body. "My memories."

There was a flash of light, and…

Through Auron's point of view, Rayne and Tidus saw Braska standing a ways off. But, right before them, was Jecht. The man looked a bit nervous about something; he was scratching the back of his head. They were in the very room that Rayne, Tidus, and Auron were in at that moment, so Tidus and Rayne assumed that it was right before Yunalesca turned Jecht into the fayth.

"Can I," Jecht began, still scratching the back of his head, "ask you one last favor? Uh… Nah. Never mind."

Jecht turned to leave and Auron sighed angrily, "Out with it!"

Jecht turned back and waved his hands, "Okay. Listen good." He took his time annunciating his next words. "Take… care of my son." He paused, then shook his head, "My son, in Zanarkand. He's such a crybaby. He… needs someone there to hold his hand, see? Take care of him, will you?"

"But…" The younger Auron began, confused, "How am I supposed to go to Zanarkand?"

"Hey! You said it yourself! There must be a way to get there, right? You'll find it. Oh, and by the way," Jecht sidled up to Auron and said in a low voice, "Take Rayne with you. I'm sure she'll like it. And, while you two are there, you just might…" Jecht grinned roguishly.

"Jecht!" Auron pushed him away. Jecht laughed, then sobered as Auron said, "All right, I will! I give you my word. I'll take care of your son. I'll guard him with my life."

Jecht smiled wearily. "Thanks, Auron." He then walked to Auron, pulling him into a hug. Rayne could almost feel Auron freeze up in the embrace. "You always were such a stiff, but that's what I liked about you."

Flash of light again, and Rayne and Tidus both returned to the present. Auron was standing, facing away from both of them. He sighed heavily, "That… is why."

Tidus looked between Rayne and Auron, then silently turned and left the room.

Rayne stared at Auron's back, "Why didn't you ever say anything? Why did you lie?"

Auron let out a shuddering sigh, "I… wasn't sure how… And I didn't know… things would get as far as they did."

She sighed, then walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him, fingers lacing across his chest, "This is why you have to leave when all of this is over, isn't it? You… want to pass on."

"It's not a question of 'want'. It's a question of 'need'." He paused, "I… won't age any farther than I am now. I will forever be thirty-five. You, on the other hand, will age. This has already been proven. I don't… want what would come of that. Besides…"

Rayne tightened her grip, "When the fayth wake up… I might leave, as well, right?"

Auron jerked, "How—"

"I can feel them…" She buried her face into his back, "They're… so tired, Auron. They want to sleep dreamlessly so badly, but I… I'm not done living. I want… so badly to live out a normal life… here… in Spira. With Yuna, Tidus, Wakka, Lulu, Rikku, Kimahri, everyone we've met on this journey…" She scraped her nails against his armor, "And with you…" She laughed a bit, "That makes me sound selfish, doesn't it?"

Auron laughed hollowly, "All humans are selfish at some point or another."

She was silent for a moment, "Auron, I—"

He spun around and grabbed her shoulders, kissing her. He then looked down at her with a soft eye, "We'll worry about the future when it comes. Now, let's bury the past and live for the now."

Rayne shook her head and laughed, "That doesn't sound like you in the least, Auron."

He grunted and shrugged, "You're doing odd things to me."

She smiled and pulled him into another kiss.



Outside of the dome, Sin was waiting for them. Tidus was looking up at it and talking to it. When Tidus was done, Sin turned a bit to face Rayne and Auron, who had walked out hand-in-hand (to Rayne's annoying insistence). Rayne smiled sadly, "Jecht…"

Sin moaned and a voice entered Rayne's mind. "_Hey, kid. Good to see ya._"

Auron nodded, "Jecht."

"_Old stiff…_"

Rayne giggled, then shook her head sadly, "Jecht, I'm so sorry—"

Sin moaned again, "_No need. I understand. Just, please, find another way soon, alright?_"

Rayne nodded.

Sin turned to leave, then paused, "_Glad to see you two finally hooked up. 'Bout damned time._"

"Jecht…"

"Jecht!"

He laughed, then floated back into the sea. Overhead, the _Fahrenheit_ closed in and began to sink down.


	50. Interlude from the Mission

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Interlude from the Mission)

Onboard the ship, Wakka looked at Rayne and Auron suspiciously, "What took you two so long to come out, eh?"

Rayne rolled her eyes and sighed angrily, "We were caught up in an intensely interesting discussion about quantum physics and how we might use that knowledge to better the world by concocting a convoluted plan to open a mini black hole in your mouth so that any unintelligent thought that tries to spew forth from it might just be sucked back inside."

Wakka nodded the whole time, then dropped his hands to his side and asked, "Huh?"

Rayne rolled her eyes and Auron chuckled. The group made their way up to the bridge, where Cid and the other Al Bhed were waiting for them. The Al Bhed leader and Tidus shook hands, Cid silently thanking the boy for Yuna's life.

Tidus shook his head, "Don't thank me, yet. We aren't done."

Cid groaned and shook his head. "You kids and your blasted adventures… Fine! Where to?"

"To—…" Tidus turned to the group, "Uh… where to?"

The whole group exchanged glances. That was a good question. Where to?

Cid punctuated the silence by saying, "We gotta go somewhere, kiddos."

"Besaid."

The party turned to Rayne, who shrugged. "We have no idea what we're doing, so we might as well start back at the beginning. We're bound to run into some clues, and we might even find things we never noticed before. 'Sides, we need to level up anyway if we want to face Sin, right?"

There was more silence. Cid sighed, "If none of you can think of anything better, I'm goin' with her plan. Goin' once… goin' twice…" When nobody objected, Cid clapped his hands, "Sold, to the lady with the grey hair."

Rayne glared at the man. "If you would, please take a detoured route." She shook her head, "I don't care how detoured, just enough so it takes us a couple days to get to Besaid. I really need a nap."

"Gotcha." He faced forward and shouted in Al Bhed, "Set course to Besaid; scenic route."

"Yes, sir!" Brother shouted back in like.

Cid turned back to the party and jerked out his thumb, "There're some cots in the cargo bay. If you need 'em, they're all yours."

Rayne nodded, "Thanks, Cid." She then turned on her heel and walked out of the bridge. On her way to the cargo bay, Rayne found a save point. Collecting her thoughts, she lay her hand on the sphere and fell into black.



_Drifting as always…_

_I wonder if this is what the fayth feel like?…_

"Somewhat."

_Hello Bahamut…_

_Hey…_

_I thought you weren't going to be able to do this?…_

"Change of plans. I've got everything ready on my end, so whenever you want to start—"

_Just tell me when…_

"Okay. Ready? …Go."

"_Hey, everyone. If you're listening to this, it means you've found the hidden file in the Luca sphere place. I just have a few things to say, and I don't really want to take too long saying them, so here it goes:_

_Michael._

_No matter what you may have seen, and no matter what life I had in Zanarkand, you have always been and will always be my brother and best friend._

_I guess that, when I first came to Earth, I was looking for a family that reminded me of the one I had back in Spira. But, when I found you and Mom and Dad, I found more than a replacement; I found a second family._

_I love you, my brother, and I love Mom and Dad, too._

_(sigh)Take care of them for me._

_Sebastian._

_Remember how we met? _

_My first day at school, I was walking in with Michael. The second period bell rang, students started pouring out of the classrooms, and Michael didn't want to be seen with me._

_So, he pushed me away from him… and right into your girlfriend, Kendra._

_She had a fit. (laughs)_

_Then, after Michael forced you to be nice to me, you took it a step further and protected me from everyone who was bullying me… at the price of tutoring you, of course._

_All in all, you were one of the best friends I had, and I thank you._

_Take care of yourself, and I hope you find happiness._

_Heather._

_You and I were never particularly close, but you were nicer to me than most of the other girls._

_You and my brother have been together since we moved to town, five years ago… well, fifteen, here._

_I was surprised that a girl with friends like you had would date my brother, but I guess that's just me being narrow-minded._

_You've been good for my brother, and you've brought out the best in him._

_(pause)Keep an eye on him for me._

_One last thing before I go…_

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Rayne collapsed onto the cot and stared at the ceiling, thinking about her final words with Bahamut.

"_Your brother and friends will be able to access if and only if they complete a certain task or a series of events. You get to decide what._"

Rayne laid her hand across her face and thought about the task she had set out for her brother… and hoped that it wasn't too difficult.

Her task: Find one thing about Spira's history that Meachen didn't know.

…What? It was feasible! After all, her brother must have seen some of Spira through either hers or Tidus' eyes, and Rayne highly doubted Meachen knew that she had been a guardian/bodyguard of Yunalesca.

… Rayne groaned. 'My brother is doomed…'

There was a jolt and a whine as the ship rose a bit higher into the air. When it leveled out again, Rayne slid her hand off of her face and laid it on her stomach, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.



Michael angrily punched the 'Start' button and stormed into the kitchen, knocking over a coffee table as he went. Heather and Sebastian exchanged worried glances. Michael hadn't showed any external reaction to the game since Rayne and Yunalesca first interacted, but now he seemed to be letting it all out. Michael was pissed.

Heather and Sebastian carefully made their way into the kitchen, where they found Michael tearing away at a tuna sandwich. Heather sat down beside him and rubbed his back, "Mike? Honey, it's alright—"

"It can hardly be considered 'alright'," Michael coolly stated, "When the person you though, for so long, your sister… reveals herself to be nothing more than a dream." He glared and looked out the window, "She lied to me."

"Dude, Rayne just found out, too." Sebastian said, sitting down at the dinner table, "I mean, come on, Mike. Give her a little slack…"

Michael jumped to his feet and began to pace, "And then, she goes and nearly betrays Yuna and her friends, again! Come on! How many times does she nearly have to kill them before either she leaves or they leave her?!"

"Michael!" Heather jumped to her feet, "How could you?! This is your sister we're talking about!"

Michael scoffed, "No sister of mine—"

There was a resounding smack.

Silence fell.

Michael stared at the wall, face blank and cheek red and stinging. Heather stared at him with wide eyes, mouth agape. Sebastian glared at Michael stonily, fist still held out.

Seb slowly lowered his hand, shaking his head. "I don't know what's come over you, Mike, but I'll be damned if you're going to talk about your sister like that with no reproach. I don't care how mad you are about this, she is your sister, and you will respect her. If you haven't noticed, she's been through a lot. She deserves better than that."

The silence remained, Heather slowly turning to face Sebastian. Seb walked over to the cabinets and opened them, pulling out three glasses. He took them over to the fridge, where he pulled out a bottle of champagne. Filling the glasses silently, he then took them over to his friends, placing one in the stunned Heather's hand and one in the silent Michael's hand.

Sebastian then stood back and cleared his throat, raising his glass into the air, "To Auron and Rayne: May they find all of the happiness in the world… at least before Auron is sent to the Farplane." He then threw his head back and downed the champagne in one swig.

Heather tipped her glass, then raised and cautiously sipped at it, keeping her eyes on her boyfriend. Michael stared down at his glass with a blank face, spinning it slightly, watching the liquid as it swirled. He then sighed and raised his glass, "To Auron and Rayne." He gulped it down.

Seb laughed and slapped his friend on the shoulder, pulling him into a rough embrace, "That's the Mike I know! Now let's get back in there and get back to that game!"

Back in the living room, Seb sat in front of the game and cracked his knuckles. He then picked up the controller and pressed the 'Start' button. "Let's go journeying."



Rayne flinched as the nauseating sense of vertigo washed over her. She felt the way of the game be placed back in Sebastian's rough hands. 'Spira is doomed…'

At that moment, she heard the door slide open and several pairs of light footsteps walk in. They stopped not far from her and silence fell Rayne sighed, "Yuna, Lulu, Rikku, you all can come out now."

The footsteps picked up again and the three females walked into Rayne's vision, all of them sitting on the cots that had been placed into the space of the cargo hold.

Rayne looked at each of them in turn, then sighed and closed her eyes, "Let the questioning commence…"

Yuna spoke first, attentively, "You… served Lady Yunalesca?"

The old Mage nodded, "For several years, yes."

"And… you were from Zanarkand?" Rikku asked.

Rayne sighed and sat up, "Originally…" She stopped and frowned. She then sighed angrily and shouted, "The rest of you come in here, as well. I don't particularly feel like repeating this."

There was a moment of silence, then the sound of doors sliding open and boxes shuffling around. As the men filed in and took their seats, Tidus outshone them all and dropped out of a vent in the ceiling, plopping down next to Yuna.

Rayne quirked a brow, looking around, "Let's see… Tidus, Wakka, Kimahri, Auron, Lulu, Rikku, Yuna… good. That's everybody then. Well, to answer Rikku's question, I was actually originally from Bevelle, believe it or not." There were several gasps and Rayne nodded, "Yes. Let me tell you a bit about Bevelle and Zanarkand as they used to be. You see…"

And, without revealing too much, Rayne told them the truth about Spira's history, making sure to leave some of the more important details for the battles that were yet to come.



Night had fallen. Cid had assured them that it would take at least two days to get to Besaid, telling them to take their time resting and relaxing.

Unfortunately, Rayne was having problems taking advantage of that opportunity.

The ship was humming softly, the air was gradually warming as they moved south, the darkness was soft and embracing, and the bed beneath her was the softest thing she had slept on in some time, yet Rayne started at the black above her and remained wide awake.

She tossed and turned from one comfortable position to another, yet never seemed to be comfortable enough to sleep. She was physically exhausted, but mentally wide awake. Knowing it would be pointless to keep trying, Rayne gave up and walked out of the cargo hold, heading to the deck.

As she sat beneath the starlit sky, the intercom behind her crackled and Cid's voice came on. "You alright, Miss Rayne?"

Rayne sighed and smiled, shouting back, "Perfectly fine, Master Cid. Just came to get a bit of fresh air."

"Alright, if you say so." The man replied, sounding a bit skeptical, "I'll just leave you to yourself, then." The intercom crackled again and all was silent.

Rayne sighed again and fell onto her back, arms and hair splayed about her. The stars were bright and the moon was high a full, taking a slight blue tint from the true black of space around it. She gazed at the sky above with half-lidded eyes, finally beginning to feel the weight of sleep. Just as she was drifting off, the door to the deck opened and a heavy pair of boots klotzed out and towards her. There was a rustle of fabric as the person sat beside her.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Auron asked in his heavy, gruff voice, "You are, after all, the one who asked that we take a longer way so that we might rest."

"I know," Rayne muttered, "But I couldn't sleep."

"Looks like you can now. Come. I'll take you back in."

He moved to stand and grabbed her arm, but she shook him off and weakly protested, "No, not yet. If you take me back in now, I'll really never sleep. I just… want to lay out here, for now."

Auron sighed and sat back down beside her, "Very well." He was silent for a moment, then said, "You know, you can't keep her wandering Spira forever."

Rayne frowned and nodded, reluctantly admitting, "I know, I know. I was hoping that, since no one seemed to have a clue as to what to do, I could get her to wander Spira for a bit, but I know that even she won't keep to it forever."

She could feel him look down at her, "If she isn't going to be killed by the Final Summoning, what is it you fear?"

"Auron, what's waiting for us when we battle Sin? What is the truth?" When he was silent, she looked over at him. He was staring off into space with a half grimace on his face, his eyes filled with hesitance and worry. "Auron?"

He sighed and met her eyes, "What waits for us… is another blast from your past… and the reason for most of the misery Spira has faced over the past thousand years."

Rayne blinked, "Who?"

Auron shook his head, "Guess. The answer might be easier to find than you would figure."

Rayne frowned and thought. Then, it came to her. The reason Zaon had died. The reason Bevelle had ever considered war with Zanarkand. The reason Bevelle now spoke of his teachings. "Yu Yevon…"

Auron nodded grimly, "Yevon has been inside of Sin since the beginning. Sin started off as him, but the years have more than likely broken him down, and he is probably more of it than it of him."

Rayne sat up and shook her head, "I don't understand. Why? How?"

"You would probably know why better than I. Why do you suppose Yevon would force Bevelle to bend to his will?"

She leaned forward on her knees and thought about it. Her eyes then widened, "The war and destruction of Zanarkand… He… he wanted to win against them in some way, so he created Sin and forced them to bow to his will…"

"Least he destroy all of Spira. That's right." Auron nodded, "As to how, he uses the Final Summonings to fuel his power. Do you remember what power Yevon held?"

Rayne tilted her head and frowned, "He was a summoner, I believe…" She balked, "And that's how he's created Sin! Sin isn't a monster or even a fiend; it's a Summoning! Yevon's Final Summoning!"

Auron nodded again, "A summoning he uses the other summoner's Final Summonings to fuel. When the summoners come to the end of their pilgrimage and face him, they summon their Final Summonings. Yevon takes these powerful aeons and absorbs their power, then takes some time to rest and reboot. Then, when he is ready, he descends upon Spira again."

Rayne laid back and shook her head, "Lord Yevon…"

Auron looked down at her and frowned, "Though I hate to bring this up, I feel I have to know ahead of time: Are you going to feel inclined to fight alongside him rather than Yuna?"

Rayne sighed, yet shook her head nonetheless. Auron did have basis to doubt her. "I once told Yunalesca that I would not take orders from her father because my duty ended to him when he passed me onto her. The same is true now. I serve Yuna and Yuna alone; there is not a single doubt in my mind."

Auron nodded, "Good."

They were silent again. Rayne sighed heavily, tiredly, and closed her eyes, pulling her arms to her body to rest her hands on her stomach. She was soothed by the soft hum of the engines, and Auron was so close that she could feel and relish the heat of his body. She sighed contentedly and relaxed, her mind drifting to the deeper, sleep driven reaches.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she was awoken by someone lifting her from the ground. "Uugh, Auron?"

He pulled her to his chest and started to walk back, "It's time you went to bed. You're falling asleep."

"Alright." She grumbled and nestled deeper against his body, taking in his heat. In a short time, she woke again to find herself being set onto her cot. "'Night…"

His hand brushed across her cheek, "Goodnight, Rayne."

She felt something warm press to her forehead as she drifted off to sleep.


	51. Back in Besaid

Forewarning, things are probably going to slow down after this because I am still in the process of writing the next chapter. I know were everything is going, but I need to consult a few resources before I pick back up on the main story line. Prepare yourselves for a bit of meandering.

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Back in Besaid)

"We'll be here whenever you need us, so take your time lookin' for whatever it is you need and call us when you want a ride."

Yuna smiled and bowed to her uncle. "Thank you, Uncle Cid." She then turned to her party, "Well, let's go."

The group jumped off of the ship and onto the boardwalk, stopping to wave to the _Fahrenheit_ as it rose into the air and disappeared into the clouds. They then turned to the island and stared at it for a moment.

Yuna took a deep breath and sighed, "We're back…"

Wakka scratched the back of his head, "Never thought we'd all come back here, again."

Lulu shook her head, "Especially before we defeated Sin…"

They all fell silent, the three islanders thinking about how they would be received.

"Well," Rayne said after a moment, taking a step forward, "I say that, if the people of the island love Yuna as much as they claimed they do, then they'll disregard whatever they have heard and accept us as we are."

"Yeah, yeah!" Rikku jumped towards Rayne and danced on the balls of her heels, "Everyone loves Yunie, so they'll forget all about everything!"

Yuna sighed and shook her head, "We can only hope…" She then took a deep breath and led the way.

They took their time walking, Yuna and the other two islanders soaking in every sight with wistful and reminiscent smiles on their faces. When they had reached the cliff that overlooked the village, the three stopped and looked down longingly, the rest of the group giving them their time.

After a moment, Rayne walked forward and set her hand on Yuna's shoulder, "Perhaps we should actually go into the village, now…"

Yuna looked to her guardian and smiled nervously, "Yes… we should." She then turned to the path and headed down it.

As they walked, Rayne shook her head and laughed. When the group looked at her, she laughed even harder, "It seems like it was… such a short time ago that we walked this path… though in the opposite direction. How long has it been?"

Beside her, Kimahri grunted and shook his head, "Three months. Almost four."

Rayne smiled reflectively, "That long, eh?"

Silence fell and everyone looked ahead. They froze in place when they saw the entrance to the village right in front of them.

Yuna chewed her lip nervously, then turned Rayne, "Rayne? Will you…"

Rayne nodded and stepped forward, squaring her shoulders and walking through the archway.

Around her, the people moved on doing their busywork. Then, one of the children saw her and dropped what he was carrying. He gapped for a moment, then turned and shouted, "Hey! Lady Rayne is back!"

The villagers stopped abruptly and turned to stare at Rayne, all eyes wide. When the rest of the group made their presence known by walking up behind Rayne, there was a great commotion as the villagers stampeded forward and pulled the party into hugs.

Rayne squeezed back uncomfortably and watched with a smile as Wakka, Lulu and even Kimahri were greeted. Many people stopped to stare at Auron in wonder. Rikku slipped, unnoticed, to the back and stood beside Rayne. Yuna stood silently in the center, waiting for the people's reactions.

There was silence again as the villagers finally seemed to realize that Yuna was with the group, alive and well. One of the elderly women of the village stepped forward and asked in a flat tone, "Surely, Lady Yuna, you could not have failed?"

Yuna shook her head, "No. I have not failed. I have been to Zanarkand, and I have obtained from there all I could have. I am… simply looking for what I may have missed, and strengthening myself further before I battle Sin."

The old woman nodded, "I see. A wise move if you believe you are not yet ready. Take your time, Lady Yuna, and do not rush into battle unprepared. We would rather wait and have you succeed than have you rush and fail."

Yuna nodded and bowed, "I thank you."

After a few more welcomings and an invitation to a village-wide party that night, the group dispersed and began to look around the village. Rayne headed directly to the Besaid weavers hut. Her clothes were almost nothing but rags, by now.

Inside the hut, she was greeted warmly by the weavers. Those who had worked on her clothes despaired at the condition they were in, but assured her that a new set would be ready by the next day. They lent Rayne a plain white kimono to wear, in the meantime.

Outside of the hut, Rayne stretched her arms over her head and walked to Wakka and Lulu's hut, dropping her things inside. She then sat on the sofa-bed and looked around the tent, taking in all of the familiar.

She only had a few moments of reminiscence when Yuna, Lulu and Rikku walked in, grabbing changes of clothes and towels. Lulu beckoned to Rayne, "Come on. We're going to head to the springs to bathe."

Rayne nodded and stood, "That sounds like a good idea." She then grabbed a towel for herself and followed her companions out of the hut.

After wandering a bit into the forest, they stopped at a group of lukewarm pools and set their things aside, stripping and sinking into the water. Rayne snapped her fingers and, with that, the water heated and began to bubble.

The four journeyers sighed heavily and sank further into the water, closing their eyes and letting the hot water relax their tense, sore, and tired muscles. Rayne let her air out of the ponytail it had been in and dipping her head back, scrubbing a bit with the soap Lulu had brought. When they had finished washing, Lulu overflowed the pool with a 'Water' spell, cleaning it and leaving it fresh to soak in.

After a bit, Rikku swam up beside Rayne and began to re-braid her hair, doing it the exact same way she had done it before. When Rikku was done with Rayne's hair, the women rose from the water and grabbed their towels, quickly drying and slipping into the comfort clothes they had brought.

Their walk back to the village was silent, until Yuna stopped them before the entrance and said, "Don't try to go to the Temple. The monks and nuns there have banned us from there, and might be openly hostile if we go too close…"

Rayne sighed and shook her head, "I suppose we will have to be prepared to face such things everywhere we go, won't we?"

Lulu nodded, frowning, "But, it would appear as though the people still support us…"

"That's good. Right?" Rikku asked, bouncing on the balls of her heels.

There was a moment of silence, broken by Rayne. "No. It means that there is discourse between the people and Bevelle, and though it may work in our direction, it is not good for our cause. It may start a war." They all stopped stared as a Temple priest approached them, Rayne muttering, "But this isn't the best place to talk of this. Split up and meet back for the party later." They turned and went their separate ways.

Before she realized where she was headed, Rayne found herself standing before the Crusaders Lodge. 'Gatta…' After a moments hesitation, Rayne pushed aside the cloth in the doorway and walked in. There were fewer Crusaders milling around then there had been in the past, and most of them were older men who had no other profession to turn to. There were no new faces.

Rayne walked over to the counter and spoke to the elderly clerk. "Please, is Sir Gatta in?"

The old man blinked slowly, then looked down at his papers and shuffled them, squinting to read the writing after the third page or so. "Looks like he was here a few weeks back, but left to go to Bevelle. Something about officially establishing this outpost as a Bevellian force and himself as the head of it."

"Thank you." Rayne bowed and walked out of the Lodge. 'So, Gatta did make it back. And he decided to make himself one of Bevelle's emissaries. Wonder what he'll say when he finds out we're all traitors…' Caught in her thoughts, Rayne wandered back to Wakka and Lulu's hut. Finding it empty, she decided to get some rest before the party and lay down on the sofa, drifting to sleep.

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_Rayne blinked rapidly and spun in a circle._

"…_Well, this definitely isn't what I've become accustomed to…"_

_She was standing in the middle of an immense library, isles of books all around. Above her was a great dome in the otherwise flat ceiling, a great mural in its center. She looked down at her feet, which were bare, and took a moment to admire the individually painted tiles. She then looked up, sighing and shaking her head._

"_Been a while since I've had this dream… I wonder what's here this time?"_

_She walked over to one of the shelves and picked a random book, sighing at what she saw. "Like I figured; blank."_

_She went to put the book back, but paused. "If I'm going to do this right… I'd rather not look at the same blank book more than once."_

_That decided, she dropped the book on the floor, something she would have never done in reality. She then moved on to the next book, flicking through the pages. Finding nothing again, she dropped the book and moved on… and on… and on._

_An indefinable amount of time later, she hadn't even put a dent in the vast libraries stores. She stopped and took a break, sighing, "Now I remember why I hated this dream… the work is tedious and pointless."_

_Another indefinable amount of time later, she finished one side of a whole shelf and arrived at a reading space. She blinked at what she saw._

_Jecht, Bahamut, Auron, Braska, and… Wakka? The first four she could get, but the last one? Wakka? …Why?_

_She shrugged. "Whatever." She then walked into the reading area and sat in an armchair, all attention immediately turning to her._

"_Rayne?" Jecht exclaimed._

_Rayne nodded and smiled, "Hello, Jecht. And everyone else…"_

_Auron frowned and looked around. "Where are we?"_

"_Oh, just one of my less favorite dreams." She then glanced at Wakka, who had his nose buried in a book, "You do realize that's blank, right?"_

_Wakka looked up at her and blinked, "The idea of this book being 'blank' is based on your opinion, ya? And you can't trust human opinion because all humans are biased. So, if I see something, it's there for me."_

_Rayne's eyebrows shot up, "And when did you come to understand objective reality?"_

"_Ignore him." Bahamut said shortly, frowning at Wakka, "He's not what you think." Wakka just buried his head back into the book._

_Rayne shrugged and turned back to the rest of her company, smiling at her old summoner. "Lord Braska. It's been a while."_

_Braska smiled and nodded, "It's good to see you Rayne. I've missed your company."_

"_As I have yours." She threw a look at both Jecht and Auron, "Your company is still more refreshing than theirs…"_

"_Hey, hey, hey!" Jecht shouted, standing up, "Come on, kid! Where's the love?!"_

_Auron rolled his eyes and growled, "Please sit and keep your voice down. You are in a library." Jecht grumbled and sat._

"_Actually, that depends on Rayne's perspective. Only she can label it. This is her dream, after all." Bahamut looked at Rayne, "What is this place?"_

_Rayne blinked, then leaned back and looked around. The answer came to her more easily than she had imagined, "The Hall of Stories…"_

_Auron frowned, "'The Hall of Stories'?"_

_Rayne nodded, standing and walking over to one of the shelves, "The Hall of Stories is a collection of all thought and tale, spanning back from when time first began. It is never-ending and eternal, and shall continue to expand as long as there is thought and mind…"_

_Jecht raised a brow, "And you know this… how?"_

_Reaching up and grabbing a book, Rayne carried it back and sat into her chair, sitting before she answered, "Instinct."_

_Braska watched her as she examined the outside of the book, never opening it, "Why are we here?"_

_Rayne shrugged, squinting at the cover of the book, "I assume it would have something to do with our journey… though I can hardly imagine why he's here." She shot a look at Wakka, who ignored her._

_Bahamut shook his head, "Pay him no heed." He then looked at the book it Rayne's hand, "What story is that?"_

"_I believe," Rayne said slowly, running a hand over the surface of the book, "That it is a recount of my first life in Spira. The life I had in Bevelle and Zanarkand."_

"_Open it." All eyes turned to Wakka, who was staring at Rayne fixedly._

_Rayne frowned and set the book on her legs, "I'm not sure I want to."_

_Wakka looked at her more intently, "Why not?"_

"_Because," Rayne slammed the book down onto a table in front of her, "I have finished and closed that chapter of my life. There is no need to review it."_

"_Why not, ya? You might learn something."_

_Rayne frowned and growled, "Because I'd rather learn from my current mistakes than the ones of the old Rayne. She isn't who I am now, and I refuse to follow in her footsteps."_

_Wakka blinked, "Why?"_

_Eyes livid, Rayne jumped to her feet and screamed, "Because my past summoner died, YU YEVON!!"_

_There was a moment of silence, broken by Wakka's laughter. Wakka's laughter broke into the laughter of another person, the voice of whom Rayne recognized to be Yevon._

_Wakka stood, suddenly no longer Wakka but Yevon, "I was wondering if you'd see…"_

_Rayne snarled as the others around her jumped to their feet and ran over to stand beside her. She hissed, "How could I not? You think the same way those blasted Yevon maesters do!" Before Yevon could say anything more, Rayne raised her hand and slashed it violently in a horizontal motion, "Be gone!"_

_Wind swirled around them and paper fluttered, a veritable tornado appearing in the reading area. Yevon screamed and disappeared._

_When the wind died down, Rayne turned back to her friends, frowning, "What does this mean?"_

_Bahamut shook his head, "It means that you aren't done fighting yet. Yevon is going to try to take you."_

"_He won't." Auron growled, taking a few steps to stand beside Rayne, "He'll have to get through me, first."_

"_I'll hold him back all I can, too." Jecht said, nodding to Rayne._

"_And I'll do all I can to help Jecht." Braska nodded, "After all, Yevon does depend on the Gagazet fayth to power himself, and I think I can have some sway over them if I tell them who it's for."_

_Rayne looked between the three men, smiling and on the verge of tears, "Guys…" She lowered her head and laughed, "Thanks…"_

"_All you gotta do in return," Jecht began, a devious grin coming over his face, "Is get married before the final battle."_

_Rayne twitched and Auron growled. "Jecht…"_

_Braska laughed, "I must admit, you two always were rather charming together."_

_Rayne groaned, "Braska…Not you, too!"_

"_Hey, hey, hey!" Jecht exclaimed boisterously, "I'm being dead serious. If I don't see a ceremony, I'll hide from you all until there is one. That clear?"_

_Rayne never got a chance to answer, for the air around her suddenly became thick with the smell of smoke and the outlines of everything around her became indistinct. The scene faded with Braska and Jecht laughing, Bahamut chuckling, and Auron shaking his head. Then, Rayne emerged from the dream._

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Rayne woke to the sound of cheering and laughing, as well as the sound of music and a crackling fire. Though the tent was closed, the smell of smoke and cooking food filled the air. She sighed and stood, straightening her hair and clothes and grabbing an extra coat from the pile of clothes in the corner. Slipping into the coat, she pushed aside the cloth covering the entrance and walked outside, smiling at the sight.

People were dancing in circles around a bonfire, laughing and joking, eating and telling stories, and just being Besaid islanders. Rayne didn't realize until just then how much she had missed Besaid parties; they were always so lively and fun, not to mention colorful. She had only stood outside of the door for a few moments when one of the islanders pulled her into the circle and led her in a dance, Rayne laughing and immediately picking up on the steps. She had missed these parties…

After several hours, Rayne drew back from the body of the celebration and sat to the side, in a small nook where the remains of a house were. She leaned back against the crumbling wall tiredly, closing her eyes and letting the smells of the party and the warmth of the Besaid island roll over her like a warm wave from the sea.

She lazily drifted in and out of consciousness, sometimes half awake and watching the festivities, sometimes asleep with the beat of the music invading her dreams and making them warm and playful. This was what she liked about Besaid; the warmth and life.

"You should go to bed if you're so tired."

Rayne opened her eyes and looked up at Auron, who was standing near her, leaning against another house and looking at her. She smiled, "I wouldn't be able to sleep any better in a bed than I am here, so please don't move me."

Auron sighed and shook his head, smirking, "Fine." He then walked over to her and sat beside her, "Were the festivities too much for you?"

Rayne smiled, eyes still closed, "I'd forgotten how tiring Besaid parties could be… They drain the life right out of me."

Auron chuckled, then fell silent and turned back to watch the party.

"…Auron?" She sighed when she felt him look at her, "Did you… was that really you… in my dream?"

She heard him grunt, "It was."

"…I won't let Yevon control me. I drew the line at Yunalesca; I won't let anyone control me anymore. I won't betray Yuna again."

"And I'll help you." She opened her eyes and looked at him. He was looking right at her, his brown eye piercing and serious, "I'm going to protect you this time. I won't let anyone take your mind from you again."

Rayne sighed and smiled, leaning tiredly against him, "Thank you."

Auron looked down at her, smiling ever so slightly. After letting her fall asleep, he pulled her into his arms and stood, walking though the shadows to get back to Wakka and Lulu's hut. Inside, he slid off her outer jacket and lay her down on the sofa bed, covering her with a thick blanket.

He took a few more moments to stare at her, then turned and walked out of the hut, cutting through the party and heading back to the Crusaders Lodge.


	52. Family

Holy shite, it's been forever since I last updated this, hasn't it? Sorry!

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Family)

The party leaned against the railing of the _Likki_, waving to their friends as the ship pulled away from Besaid. Rayne stood in the back again with Auron and Rikku, sighing heavily and shaking her head. She shrugged when her two companions looked at her, "Déjà vu."

Rikku frowned and tilted her head, "DJ-what? That doesn't sound like Al Bhed."

Rayne shrugged, "Back where I'm from, it's a feeling you get when you think that you've seen or experienced something before."

"Ohh," Rikku shuddered, "You mean the shivers." She said the last word in Al Bhed.

Rayne nodded and was about to say something else when she was called.

"Hey! Rayne! Over here!"

She looked up at the upper deck and sighed, seeing Tidus jumping up and down. "Gotta go. Looks like the son of Jecht has another brilliant revelation he wants to share." With that, she departed and headed to the stairs, walking up them to meet with the boy. She frowned and glared at him, "Waddya want?"

Tidus held a piece of paper in front of her face, frowning, "What's this?"

Rayne snatched the paper out of his hand and began to read it, another feeling of déjà vu washing over her as she recognized the handwriting and the tone.

Hello To The Summoning Party Of The Lady Yuna!!:

If you're reading this, congratulations! You've just activated the completely optional side quest: 'Ultimate Spira History Showdown'!! Want to know what to do?!

If you say 'yes'; Good!

If you say 'no'; Too Bad!

Okay, so listen carefully. You know that weird, longwinded old fart, Machen? Yeah, I'm sure you do. He's not someone you could easily forget… although you could easily fall asleep on him when he's talking.

Anyway! Here's your completely optional challenge!:

Find something about Spiran history that Meachen doesn't know!

Sound hard? Good! Sound impossible? Good! Not even going to bother to try? Not Good!

Though this side quest may be 'optional', if you don't do it, terrible things may happen… such as my hunting you down and making you die a slow and painful death!

Sound bad? Good! That's what I was aiming for!

Convinced enough to try to do this side quest? You'd better be! Even though I'm required by the Union to say that it's 'optional', it really isn't! Well, now that the fact that you're going to play has been decided, time to go on to the rules!

You cannot ask Rayne to help you.

You cannot ask Auron to help you.

You cannot ask Tidus to help you.

You cannot use Al Bhed or Ronso history.

You cannot ask an unsent (like Lady Belgamine) for help.

You can pick an odd and obscure topic.

You can use history books (though I doubt it'll help).

You can… no… wait… that's about it.

Sounding harder? You bet it is!

Anyway… I bet you're interested in hearing what you'll win, right?! Well, even if you're not, I'm gonna tell you anyway!

You're going to win… access to a completely useless sphere that's hidden in the Luca sphere archives.

Haha! Haha! Haha! Haha! Haha!

Aren't I evil?

Anyway... yes, that's going to be your prize.

Umm… that's really all I have to tell you about that… so…

Good Luck!

Have fun trying to outsmart Meachen!

Your Worst Nightmare

(P.S. Hey, Rayne, remember the cliché I left you last time? Hehe, guess what?)

(P.S.S. BOOM!!)

Rayne screamed and threw the letter away from herself, she and Tidus watching with wide eyes as the letter self-destructed. There was thudding from the stairs and the rest of the group ran up, looking between the woman and the boy, who were watching some ash float away in the breeze.

Walking up to them, Yuna exclaimed, "What was that?!"

There was a moment of silence, punctuated by the mad laughter of a far away voice. Rayne shook her head and sighed as the group looked around in a panic. "Just the trademark exit of an old acquaintance of mine."

"What was it about?" Tidus asked, crossing his arms.

Rayne frowned, "It's just…" She paused and looked at the party seriously, "I'm leaving a message for my brother and his friends, and the only way for them to see it is if we unlock it in the Luca sphere archives."

"How do we do that?" Rikku bounced up beside Rayne and asked, tilting her head.

Rayne sighed and shook her head, "Find something about Spira's history that Meachen doesn't know about…"

The group gapped, Wakka exclaiming, "You serious?!"

"Yep." Rayne answered with a frown.

"That's impossible!" Tidus shouted, throwing his arms into the air, "The man knows everything there is to know about Spira! Back at the Moonflow, he walked up to me and managed to go on for thirty minutes about Hypello breeding habits, and as far as I know, all Hypello are male!"

"Actually," Rayne piped in before she could stop herself, "The females of the Hypello race are larva-like creatures that the Hypello males care for at the bottom of the Moonflow. They keep them in the ruins of the underwater city and—"

"I don't wanna hear about it!" Tidus screamed, clapping his hands over his ears.

Noticing the attention they were drawing to themselves, Yuna shushed the group and spoke in a soft voice, "Well, Rayne, what can you tell us?"

Rayne shook her head and sighed, "I'm not allowed to tell you anything. Neither are Tidus, Auron, nor any unsent, nor can you use Al Bhed or Ronso history. Everything else is free game."

"Whoo boy!" Wakka exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head, "This is gonna be fun, ya?"

"Oodles." Rayne replied lethargically, "Well, I'm off to bunk down for the evening. Wake me when we get to Kilika." With that she turned and walked off, pulling out the silver necklace and rubbing a finger over the embossed symbol of Valefor that had joined the symbols of Remiem and Yojimbo.

She smirked, remembering how she had gotten it…

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"_Halt!"_

_Rayne stopped as two priests and three nuns stood before her, barring her path into the temple._

"_The likes of you are not allowed in these hallowed walls." One of the priests grumbled, crossing his arms._

_Rayne sighed, smiling to the other priest, "Hello, Father Terron. It is good to see you again… Closing in on five months it's been since last we saw each other, isn't it?"_

"…_You can't come in here, Rayne." Terron said, not meeting her eyes._

"_Terron," Rayne's smile turned sad, "You and I have been overseeing this temple together for the past ten years, and you're going to let one word from Bevelle change that? Keeping in mind, of course, that there were also rumors around the Sacred Capital that I was also a whore, all those years ago…"_

_Terron was silent for a moment._

_The other priest was about to say something, but was cut off._

"_I will deal with this." Terron said, holding up a hand to silence the priest. He looked at Rayne seriously, "What do you want?"_

"_I must stand before the doors." She replied, face serious, "You don't have to let me enter the Cloister, I just need to stand before the doors. Please, Terron… it's for the Fayth."_

_For a moment, the priest was silent. Then, Terron stood back and nodded, much to the shock of the other priest and the nuns. "Make it fast, Lady Rayne."_

_She nodded and smiled, walking into the temple._

"_New priest?" She asked as Terron fell in step with her._

"_He is." Terron said, both of them glancing at the priest who had opposed her entering the temple, "He hasn't been here long enough to know just who you are."_

_Rayne smirked and held out the necklace, holding back a laugh when the worshipers watched in awe as the silver beam shot out of the pendant and collided with the symbol of Valefor as it formed on the doors to the Cloister._

"_He'll learn."_

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'This necklace is the key to my third level overdrives.' Rayne thought as she tucked the pendant of silver and lapis lazuli into her pocket. 'And, from the looks of it, I'll need to collect the symbols of all of the Aeons in order for it to work.' She sighed, laying down on her hammock and fiddling with the silver band on her finger. 'So much to do and so little time…'

She lay on her back and closed her eyes, letting the sea rock her. Even in sleep, she held onto her engagement ring.



"Wake-y, wake-y, big sister! We're in Kilika!"

Rayne rolled onto her stomach and moaned, "Go away, Rikku."

"Nuh-uh!" The Al Bhed girl refused, laughing, "We gotta go ashore and wait for the _Winno_!"

"Rikku, unless you want to meet a painful and untimely end, stop sounding so cheerful right now."

"Grouchy, much?"

"She's like that in the mornings." The gravely voice of Auron said, his boots klotzing as he walk up to Rayne's bedside. "Leave her to me."

"You got it, boss man!" The wooden floors thumped as Rikku skipped off.

Rayne stayed where she was, shying away from Auron's hand when he touched her back. "Let's go, Rayne."

"Huh-uh." She snuggled into her pillow, "Sleepy."

Auron sighed, "Act your age and get up. Don't you have a temple to visit?"

"Don't you have a corner to be old and grouchy in?"

"Rayne," He grumbled, "Don't make me get you up the hard way."

She rolled away from him, facing the wall, "Bite me, dough boy."

"If that is what you wish."

Then, Rayne was kicking and screaming in his arms, beating at his chest, "Auron, put me down now!"

He ignored her, walking onto the deck and carrying her to the railing.

She stopped flailing and looked at him with wide eyes, "Don't you dare."

Auron smirked down at her, "Good morning, Rayne." He then dropped her into the ocean.

When Rayne burst to the surface, inhaling large gulps of air, the party was watching her from the deck, many of them nearly falling down in gales of laughter.

"AURON!" She roared, spitting out a mouthful of water, "I am going to kill you!"

Auron leaned against the railing and smirked down at her, "Well maybe if you weren't so stubborn and actually bothered to learn to wake up the first time you're told to, things like this wouldn't happen."

"Screw you." Rayne grumbled, swimming over to the edge of the lowered dock and heaving her upper body onto it. Not waiting for the others, she sulked off to the forest and visited the temple, quickly acquiring the embossed symbol and returning to the docks.

As she walked down the street on her return trip, Rayne's eyes were captured by a familiar, long forgotten sight. Hand unconsciously reaching out and brushing her staff, Rayne walked into the old shop of Kala and Harref and looked around.

The store was even darker and more deteriorated than she remembered, but even after ten years there was still something present, some underlying sense of existence. Rayne knew she wasn't alone.

"…I know you're still here."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, there was a flurry of pyreflies, which formed the old man and woman, Harref and Kala. They were both smiling.

Rayne smiled back, opening her arms to them, "Uncle Harref… Auntie Kala."

The elderly man and woman walked forward, embracing their niece.

"How long have you known?" Kala whispered.

"Since Mount Gagazet." Rayne whispered back, "When the fayth showed me my past. I… I remembered you when I remembered Lady Yunalesca reading the letter to me from you, and then I remembered you even before that, when you sent me the game back on Earth. You've been helping me on this journey all along."

"It has been so hard," Kala said weakly, pulling back and offering a tired smile, "It wasn't easy for two people of our lacking power to wait for a thousand years, but we managed. With the help of the fayth and the thought of being able to help you, we lasted until you came, and even beyond that."

"You've made us so proud." Harref said with a smile, "Fighting for so long to escape, and now facing your past so bravely… You've made your family so proud, Rayne."

Rayne smiled and shook her head, "I never could have done it without you, Uncle Harref. If you hadn't been there to release my magic and if Auntie Kala hadn't been there to return Anaxagoras to me, none of this would have happened."

"We were mere instruments of your success. The only person you owe thanks to for the actual outcome is yourself." Harref said firmly, a twinkle in his eye.

Smiling widely, Kala was about to say something when a flash of pain crossed her face. She clutched her chest and leaned into Harref, who also looked pained.

"Uncle! Auntie!" Rayne shouted, leaning forward to grab them. All she grabbed, though, was air; their pyreflies had started to depart.

"Sorry, dearie." Kala huffed, giving a tight smile, "It's time for us to go."

Harref shook his head and grabbed his wife around the shoulders, "We've overextended our energy and must return to the Farplane."

Though Rayne was hurt to see them like this, she knew fighting further would only prolong their suffering. "I promise, I'll finish this journey." She said, nodding firmly, "I'll continue to make you proud."

"Don't let those old fools who call themselves the head of the fayth hold you back." Kala hissed, a sharp glint in her eye and a wild smirk on her face, "If you truly love Auron, fight for it. Take all the time you can get, and then take some more. Do whatever it takes to be happy."

Rayne laughed and shook her head, "Auron and I are aware of our duties—"

"The only duties you have," Harref cut in, "Are to those you love, not some code." He shook his head, "I admire you Guardians for your strong wills, but every now and then you have to do something for yourself. Promise me you and he will do that."

Though she was surprised, Rayne nodded and somberly replied, "I swear."

"Good."

"Wonderful."

Both Kala and Harref quickly became bare shadows of who they once were, and then their pyreflies faded completely, smiles still directed at Rayne.

'_It has happened,_' Rayne remembered from a Yevon scripture about passing on, '_That those who accept their deaths are able to pass on to the Farplane on their own, without the help of the Summoner. Though perilous, this is claimed by some to be the noblest form of departure a person can hope for._'

"Hasatekanae…" Rayne muttered, crossing herself, "Kutamae."

Back at the docks, the party had gathered and was preparing to board the _Winno_. They all turned to her as she approached.

"Where you been, Lady Rayne?" Wakka shouted.

Rayne smiled and shook her head, "Off seeing some old friends!"

Most of them looked at her oddly, clearly not remembering her having any friends in Kilika, but Auron gave her a knowing look and nodded, setting a hand on her shoulder as she walked up.

"They had been waiting for you for some time."

"I know." She said with a smile, "And I'm glad they can finally rest in peace."


	53. Tying the Proverbial Knot

I've got a question... What's this 'C2' thing?

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Tying the Proverbial Knot)

Immediately upon arriving in Luca, Yuna, Rikku and Lulu separated themselves from the rest of the group and huddled some twenty feet away from the others, whispering amongst each other.

"Well, if that isn't suspicious…" Rayne muttered.

Wakka nodded in agreement, shuddering, "I'm scared already."

Suddenly, the three females separated and nodded to each other, walking back to the group where Lulu said in her most commanding tone, "Rayne, Auron, you two are to leave the group immediately and occupy yourselves elsewhere for the next five hours."

Rayne frowned, "Wha—"

"Hold." Lulu held up a hand, shaking her head, "I'm not finished. You two are also to go in separate directions and wander Luca on your own, not to seek the company of anyone else in the group for the next five hours."

"And why would we agree to do that?" Auron grumbled.

"Bee-caauuuse," Rikku sang, skipping up to him and tapping him on the nose, "If you don't, I'll tell the whole group what I caught you doing the other night."

Auron glared down at her suspiciously, "What are you—"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Aurie." Rikku said with a devilish smirk.

Auron deadpanned and fell silent.

Rayne quirked a brow, "Considering you only have usable blackmail against one of us and since I am quite curious as to find out what Auron is hiding, I'm afraid I'll have to pa—"

"Actually, I have something against you." Tidus said, walking forward and winking, "And you know exactly what it is."

Rayne stared at Tidus with wide, frightened eyes, "You backstabbing little prick."

Tidus smirked widely, "Ha ha."

Yuna walked up to him and gave him a hug, "Thank you, Tidus."

"Anytime."

Sighing, Rayne turned to Auron and shrugged, "Well, I'd say we're both pinned."

"I agree." Auron said shortly.

With that, the two elder guardians abruptly turned and walked off, going in separate directions at the end of the pier and not looking back.

"Meet us back here in five hours!" Rikku shouted.

When she was officially alone in the city, Rayne dropped her hands onto her hips in a huff, "Well, now what?"

Far off in the distance, there was a sudden clamor of organized noise that sounded faintly melodic.

Rayne, though, was too deep in thought to hear. "I suppose I could always go to a store and buy myself a nice shot glass… I like souvenir shot glasses."

The noise gradually drew closer, revealing that it was, indeed, melodic; it was music. But from where?

Still, Rayne wasn't paying attention. "Or maybe a nice plushy teddy bear. I like having fluffy company when I'm going to sleep. …That, and I could mock Lulu when she has her back turned."

The music drew ever closer and people began to gather along the sidewalks.

Rayne, though, contemplated in the middle of the street. "I wonder if they have a 'Build a Bear' equivalent here? It would be great to make a teddy bear and dress it up like Auron… I wonder how pissed he'd be if I took Teddy Auron and sewed it to the back of his precious red coat?"

The people on the sidewalks watch with mild interest as the source of the noise drew closer and closer to Rayne. Would she notice?

"Or maybe I could make a Teddy Tidus and…" Nope, not a chance.

Before she even knew what was going on, Rayne was swept into the tide of a passing marching band and carried off into the sunset, screaming all the way.

O, woe the fate of the poor fool caught up in the march of a traveling band.

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Later, when a disheveled Rayne finally managed to disentangle from a tuba player, she pushed herself out of the crowd of uniformed performers and fell onto the road heavily, breathing in and out frantically.

A moment past before she jumped to her feet and ran into an alley, ducking behind a wall and curling up.

"Too… many… instruments!" She shivered, "Trills… mezzo forte… piccolo… acoustics!"

Rayne cursed the day that she had made any joke related to "This one time, at band camp…".

Once she was fully recovered, she walked out of the alley calmly and headed to a nearby café, desperately wanting a hot cup of tea. She froze at the door, though, upon seeing a familiar red coat inside.

"DAMN YOU, AURON!"

She moved on to the next café… and the next… and the next… and the next…

"WHAT THE HELL?! WHY THE FRICK IS AURON IN EVERY DAMNED CAFÉ?!"



Rikku resisted the urge to cover her mouth and snicker. It wouldn't be 'Auron-like' to do so, and there was no way she was screwing things up for the others when they had all gone through so much trouble to purchase five look-alikes of Auron's coat so they could drive Rayne crazy.

Elsewhere…



Auron was seriously contemplating suicide.

After all, what else was he supposed to do when his only outlet for stress, a nice strong cup of tea, was barred because every café he went to was occupied by Rayne?

"Damn it, Rayne, how much tea can you drink in a five minute period?!" Seriously, that had to have been the twelfth café he had passed, and Rayne was always ahead of him. Eventually, her bladder was going to explode.



"Okay, so you'll get 300 gil if you put this on and sit down in that café." Tidus said to the sixteenth long-haired brunette he had run across that morning. "I don't care if you order anything, just sit there and stay there for the next few hours."

Nodding, the girl took the skirt and jacket and slipped them on right there, walking directly into the café and sitting down mere moments before Auron walked by and glanced into the window.

After a second, the Legendary Guardian walked away with a look in his eye that could match an 'Evil Stare'.

Tidus shuddered when Auron turned the corner. "Yuna, you'd better be working fast."



Frankly, both Rayne and Auron were a bit skeptical in the backs of their minds about whether their contemporaries were seriously in every café, but they had serious blackmail to keep at bay.

Besides, after the twentieth 'Auron'/'Rayne' they had seen, they forgot the impossibilities of the situation and let anger take over their minds.



Yuna nodded to the man in front of her.

"Expense isn't a worry, but we'd like to keep it simple and traditional. Oh, and can you have this ready in about three hours and thirty minutes? And would you happen to have handcuffs?"



Fearing she would kill the next 'Auron' she saw, Rayne angrily made her way to the base of the Mi'ihen and sat on a bench, staring at the sea. She hadn't been there four minutes when Auron joined her.

She glanced at him, "You know, if they see us we'll officially be breaking the rules."

"I don't give a damn anymore." Auron growled, "If I see you in one more damned café, I'll go on a rampage."

"It happened to you, too?!" Rayne exclaimed, looking at him.

Auron frowned, "What do you mean? …You can't—"

"I saw you in every damned café I went to!"

"You were everywhere I went."

They both blinked, staring at each other.

"Auron… I didn't go into a single café. I tried to, but I kept seeing you."

"I didn't go into any, either, because…"

"We've been haunted by visions of each other all day." Rayne finished weakly.

They stared at each other a bit longer, Rayne sighing and leaning against his arm, "Well, it's about time to head back, isn't it?"

Auron nodded, "It is."

For a moment, neither said a thing. Then, there was an odd click and both felt a strange soft sensation around their wrists. Auron lifted his right arm and Rayne her left and they stared at what was on their wrists.

"White furred…"

"…Fuzzy handcuffs?"

They exchanged glances "Wha?", then both turned around to see who had cuffed them together. Just as they were turning around, though, a shadow slipped down off of the railing and onto the ground below, disappearing from sight.

Auron and Rayne stared at the blank spot for a few moments.

"Hey! You got fuzzy handcuffs!"

Both guardians turned around and stared in shock at the gaggle of goggling children that had gathered around them.

One boy, a toothy grin on his face, pointed to the handcuffs, "My parents have some of those!"

Blanching, Rayne jumped to her feet and grabbed Auron's hand, dragging him out of the throng and back towards the city.

"Rayne, slow down!" Auron grunted.

"We can't let kids see us like this, Auron!" Rayne hissed, ducking into a clothes store and dragging him to the dressing room. "Who in the hell put these on us?!"

"I don't know." He grumbled, eyeing her wearily as she charged her fingers with lightning and began to poke at the lock, "But I don't think that's helping."

After several tiring moments, Rayne groaned and gave up, glaring at the offensive cuffs, "They're designed to absorb magic! I can't get them off!"

"Then why did you keep trying?!"

"Because I was hoping it was a crappy design, okay?!"

Auron growled, pulling out his sword and holding it high, "Move!"

"NO!" Rayne threw herself over their hands and glared up at Auron, "That's not your sword arm, idiot! If you miss, you could cut my hand off!"

"Then what do we do?" Auron asked, rolling his eyes.

She thought for a moment, then sighed and shook her head, "Should we look for the rest of the group?"

"And have a group of immature adolescents unleash their sadistic blackmail on us?" Auron growled, his eyes narrowing, "I think not."

"But you said a moment ago that you didn't care!"

"I changed my mind."

Thus, the two guardians ended up walking down the street, glancing around frantically and looking for a locksmith. They kept their hands clasped and close to their sides so no one would see the handcuffs, but this meant they had to walk especially close to each other, which was rather difficult considering Auron's wide, bulking walk.

Then, the worst happened.

"Tidus!" Rayne gasped, ducking around a corner.

"Wakka!" Auron grunted, turning down another street.

"Lulu!"

"Rikku!"

They were cornered.

"Here!" Rayne hissed, pulling them both into a nearby building.

Once inside, they both froze as they realized where they were.

"Hi!" Yuna waved from beneath the alter, "Are you ready to begin?"

"Begin what?" Rayne hissed, crouching slightly as if to attack.

"Getting hitched, of course!" Wakka exclaimed, he and the others walking in with large smiles plastered on their faces. "As if you two would do it willingly on your own, ya?"

"Isn't it great, big sister?!" Rikku squealed, clinging to Rayne's free arm, "You and Auron are finally getting married!"

"In the most unorthodox, conniving, sneaky, malicious way possible!" Rayne snarled, yanking her arm out of the young girl's grip.

"Like Wakka said, as if you would have done it willingly." Lulu said with a smirk.

Tidus sighed, walking forward and flopping down onto a seat, holding up a key and swinging it lazily, "You can either get married and have the handcuffs removed, or you can walk out and be cuffed together for the rest of the pilgrimage."

"We'll take the latter." Rayne and Auron said at the same time, turning and walking to the door.

Kimahri, though, stepped between them and their exit and crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing. "Alter. Now."

Auron wasn't affected in the least, but Rayne knew enough to be downright terrified of the angry Ronso.

"Shall we, then?"

Auron looked down at her and blinked, "Do you want to?"

She looked up at him, "Do you?"

When neither answered, Yuna coughed, "Well, if there are no objections, shall we begin?"

Slowly and still keeping eye contact with Rayne, Auron turned so that his body was facing down the isle. Her heart fluttering, Rayne did the same. Then, together, they walked.

As they faced each other at the alter, Rikku slipped up behind Rayne and threw a veil over her face, falling back silently.

Yuna read the rights, taking a length of thick, white ribbon and binding their hands together, unlocking the handcuffs as she did and letting them fall to the ground.

"You are now bound to each other physically." Yuna said, "All that is left to do is bind yourselves together spiritually. …Do you, Sir Auron, take the Lady Rayne to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold until Sending do you part?"

He opened his mouth to answer, then froze.

Seeing the turmoil in his eyes, Rayne whispered, "Auron… I know what waits for us when we reach the end of this journey, but… just pretend that, for this night alone, we are human."

He stared at her, then nodded, "I do."

"And do you, Lady Rayne, take Sir Auron to be your lawfully wedded husband, to badger and nag until your brothers and sisters on the Farplane call you back unto their arms?"

Unable to hold back a snort of laughter, Rayne lowered her head and nodded, "Yeah, Yuna, I do."

"Then, by the powers illegally bestowed to me by a Yevon priest threatened into cooperation against his will," Yuna began, making both Auron and Rayne laugh as he pulled back the veil, "I now pronounce you husband and wife… You may kiss the bride. May the fayth be kind and reunite you on the Farplane."

On that note, Auron pulled Rayne to him and kissed her. She returned, and they were wed.



"Have fun, you two!" Tidus shouted with a snicker, "We'll come get you tomorrow!"

Rayne stared at the door, locked from the outside, of the hotel suite the group had thrown she and Auron into, pursing her lips as their party ran off.

"You know," Auron said with a chuckle, "Glaring at that door won't make it open any faster."

"I know." She said with a sigh, turning around and crossing her arms, "But you can't blame me for trying."

As the room fell silent, Auron stared at the woman who had been his travel companion for two pilgrimages now, remembering how hard it had been to be separated from her for ten years. Now, after ten years of wait, she was his wife.

"Rayne."

Rayne blinked and turned to him, blinking again when she found him standing right in front of her. "Yeah?"

Auron stared down at her, his face blank, "Shall we… continue to be human?"

She stared at up him for a moment, her face going blank, as well. 'This is Auron… the man you've been waiting all this time for… He's here before you, not only as your companion but as your husband… Now what?'

A small smile twitched on her lips. 'What else?' "Yeah, Auron… We can."

Auron smiled back.

They embraced, and for one night and one alone, they were human.


	54. Back to Business

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Back to Business)

When the party arrived at the hotel the next morning to retrieve Auron and Rayne, the door was already open and the two of them were gone. Taped to the door was a note, written in Rayne's uneven scrawl.

"'Be waiting at the Highroad. Get here before noon if you don't want to suffer the training crash course from hell.' Gaaah!" Tidus groaned, smacking himself on the forehead, "I hate it when the old people gang up on us!" He glanced down at the rest of the scrawl, "'Oh, and Tidus, I'm going to hurt you for saying that.'" He deadpanned.

The others laughed, Wakka elbowing Tidus and saying, "Lady Rayne sure knows you well, don't she?"

At the steps to the Highroad they found Rayne and Auron standing side by side, and the first act of the former was to walk up to Tidus and smack him upside the head with her staff.

"Ow!" Tidus cried, rubbing his head, "What was that for?!"

"For the old joke." Rayne replied, sheathing her staff, "And for locking us in a bedroom." She then pulled the boy into a sudden hug, laughing when he froze, "And this is for helping us."

"Alright, that's enough." Auron said gruffly, nodding when everyone was facing him, "Let's get back on the road, shall we?"

"Need you ask?" Rayne asked, running up the stairs and waiting for them at the top. Once they were there, she crossed her arms and tilted her head, "You know, I've been thinking…"

"Oh no…" Wakka muttered, earning himself a block of ice upside the head.

"As I was saying," Rayne growled, "I've been thinking, and I think there may be a lot on this journey that we missed."

"Like?" Wakka asked, rubbing his head.

"Aeons, for one." Everyone turned and stared at Lulu in surprise, while the woman shrugged, "It's far more than plausible. After all, remember the Temple of Remiem?"

"There's that," Rayne nodded, "And there may also be items and weapons; hidden locations with powerful fiends we could use to gain experience…"

"And just what are you proposing?" Auron grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring at her.

She turned to him and quirked a brow, "You and I already know that you know what I'm asking, so why do you bother acting like you don't know?"

Auron narrowed his eyes, "No."

Rayne smirked, "All those in favor?"

When everyone's hands but Auron's raised, Rayne quirked a brow and nodded, "Then, let's be off in search of legends."

They walked down Mi'ihen with purpose, none of the younger guardians realizing until some time in that they really had no set destination.

"Uhhh…" Tidus began after a while, "I know that we're looking for things we forgot, but what exactly are we looking for if we've forgotten it?"

Rayne was about to snap at him for being stupid, but then she realized that he was… right. "That… is an excellent question. Lemme… consult a friend." She promptly took out the ItemFinder.

"Hold on…" Tidus began slowly, crossing his arms and furrowing his brow in confusion, "Was that… a compliment?"

"Yes, it was." Rayne answered cynically, poking around on the screen, "I have been known to give them when they are, indeed, due. Unfortunately in your case, this is a rare occurrence. Aha!" She grinned down at the screen, "Perfect."

"What?" Tidus asked, leaning close to the ItemFinder only to get himself smacked upside the head.

"Coordinates and passwords to hidden items and locations, courtesy the Al Bhed." Rayne smiled and hugged the machina, "How I love the Al Bhed."

"How many are there?" Rikku asked, getting as close as she dared to look at the screen.

"Six coordinates, three passwords." Rayne answered, studying the script closer, "But it's all written in the same language as the one used on the Fahrenheit…" She sighed, shook her head, then looked at the others, "Let's get to Rin's Travel Agency and contact Cid with the save point. We'll need his help with this…"

* * *

"So, what's the plan of action?" Cid asked while looking at the group as they gathered on the bridge of the airship.

"We'll split up," Auron answered, ignoring the glare Rayne threw at him, "Different groups will take charge of certain areas that the coordinates and passwords lead to while Rayne and at least two others continue to revisit the temples. It'll go by much quicker that way."

Rayne scowled and crossed her arms: She had had no say in the matter when Auron planned that particular part of the expedition, because if she had she would have made sure that it would drag out much longer. Auron had known this ahead of time and immediately taken charge.

Grumbling, she bent over the world sphere in the center of the upper deck and poked around on it, entering the coordinates and passwords. The others gathered around as nine other points appeared on the map, joining the highlighted locations of Spira.

They were silent for a moment, then Cid said, "Well, I can tell you this much, you definitely don't want to send individual groups to these two places." He pointed to two dots, one on the ocean west of Besaid and one on a small chain of islands southeast of Macalania. "Those are some dangerous places." He glanced at Tidus, "The ocean dot is actually where we found you."

"Baaj Temple…" Everyone looked at Rayne, who had a glazed look in her eyes.

Yuna reached out and touched her shoulder, "Rayne?…"

Rayne shook her head, then frowned, "Cid's right. Baaj Temple and the Omega Ruins are definitely two places that we'll want to take as an entire group. We'll divide the less dangerous ones differently…" She bit the nail of her thumb, then glanced at Auron.

Auron sighed, closing his eyes and rattling off, "Tidus and Rikku will go to Sanubia, Yuna and Wakka will take the three Besaid sites, Kihmari will head back to Mi'ihen as well as Mushroom Rock, and Lulu and I will go to the Battle Site and meet up with Rayne near Macalania." He glanced at his wife, "We'll drop you off at Djose and you'll have to go through the Moonflow, Guadosalam and the Thunder Plains on your own. Think you can handle it?"

"Don't patronize me, Auron _dearest_." Rayne purred, throwing him a sardonic look.

"Fightin' already?" Wakka smirked, crossing his arms, "You two are _good_ at this marriage thing."

"Shut it, Wakka." Rayne and Auron snapped at the same time.

"Where are we now?" Rayne asked, glancing at Cid.

"Setting down near Djose."

Rayne nodded, exchanged brief parting words with the others, then turned to walk out of the room, throwing Auron a glance. He took the hint and followed after she had left the bridge completely.

* * *

"Don't get yourself killed."

"Says the one who's sending me through Guadosalam."

"…Would you rather contact Cid and wait for Lulu and I on the ship?"

"No. I'd rather not inconvenience anyone, especially not if someone does something stupid and gets injured. The fayth should be done with me, so if I go through fast and don't make any stops I should be fine."

"Alright. So, we'll either wait for you or you for us. Don't jump the gun; Macalania is still dangerous ground for us to tread on."

"I can imagine; we'll more than likely be attacked."

"…Rayne…"

"…? …! Mmmmm…"

"…Heh, you look flustered."

"What, now that we're married you have the right to attack me with your lips whenever you want to?"

"Hah! You're _hilarious_."

"…I love you, Auron."

"…And I you. Don't get yourself killed."

"You already said that."

"Then that should only emphasize the point."

"…I'd better go now."

"Stay safe."

* * *

Rayne stared up at the sky, watching as the Fahrenheit rose and doubled back to drop Kihmari off at Mi'ihen.

Sighing, she turned and walked up the road towards Djose.

"I wonder if the people here have heard of our betrayal?" She wondered out loud as the temple came into sight. She then scoffed to herself, "If backwater Besaid has heard of it, then Djose will have definitely heard of it." She shook her head, "Forget it. I'll just get in and out before anyone notices."

Once she had reached the front yard of the temple, Rayne did something she hadn't found necessary to do for years; not since the last big tsunami in Besaid. She pulled up the hood of her jacket and zipped the front closed.

'Well, that effectively cut down my image by at least forty percent.' She thought as she slowly made her way across the yard. 'Too bad my colors and Anaxagoras work against me…'

She had almost made it to the temple doors before she was stopped.

"Halt!"

Rayne froze, looking up at the two men standing at the temple doors. "Yes?"

"By the order of Grand Maester Mika," One of the men said, "All who enter the Temples are to state their name and purpose."

"Why?" Rayne frowned, "This has never happened before."

"And never before has a Summoner betrayed Bevelle." The same guard grumbled, "Now state your name a purpose."

Rayne paused, then said, "I am a Summoner from the isle of Besaid, departed recently to bring honor back to my home after the former Summoner Yuna's most disgraceful actions. Now, please, I am here to pray for my aeon."

"Bah!" The second guard scoffed, "A likely story! Now, 'Summoner', show us your face!"

Rayne balked a bit. 'Damn.'

"Is there a problem, My Lady?"

Rayne froze at this. 'It can't be…'

Gatta walked up beside Rayne, frowning at the guards, "Why have you not entered the temple, Lady Aurora?"

"Who are you?" The first guard asked.

"Sir Roland." Gatta declared, "Guardian of the Lady Aurora. Now, tell me, why have you stopped a summoner from entering the Djose Temple?"

"She… is a summoner?" The second guard asked.

Gatta nodded, "She is. Now, I demand you let us pass least Bevelle hear of this."

The two guards exchanged glances, then turned and opened the doors for Rayne and Gatta, bowing to them.

"My Lady." Gatta bowed, gesturing to the door.

Rayne nodded, then walked in. Inside of the Cloister, she turned to Gatta and bowed to him, "Thank you, Gatta."

"It was nothing, Lady Rayne," Gatta frowned, "Though I must ask why."

Rayne shook her head, pulling out her pendant, "Long story that will be much shorter if you see this." She turned back towards the Cloister door and held out the pendant, the symbol of Ixion forming and shooting out an electric blue beam to connect with the silver beam coming from the necklace.

Gatta watched this in shock, muttering when it was over, "A-a gift from the fayth…"

"Yeah." Rayne nodded, "It unlocks my magic." She paused, turning to the Crusader, "I thought you were going to Bevelle."

"I was," Gatta nodded, "But when I heard Lady Yuna was branded a traitor, I couldn't go. I knew that Lady Yuna wasn't a traitor, so I could not ask anything of Bevelle. I was actually just on my way back to Besaid." He paused, frowning, "Where is Lady Yuna now? And Wakka and Lulu, and the others?"

"We have temporarily split in order to complete several side quests. Gatta… I have something to ask of you."

The Crusader nodded, "Anything, Lady Rayne."

Rayne nodded and smiled, pulling out a sphere.

* * *

On the banks of the Moonflow, Rayne stood away from the crowds and waited for the shoopuf to return, thinking about what she had left Gatta to do.

'Should things turn out like I think they will… Yuna will get that sphere…'

Sighing, Rayne crossed her arms and closed her eyes, already feeling the pull of the Farplane tugging at the corners of her mind.

'I will definitely have to get past Guadosalam as quickly as possible.'

She was able to relax a total of seventeen minutes before the shoopuf returned and the Hypello were calling for passengers.

'Well, looks like it's back to business.'


	55. Revisit the Guado and the Thunder

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Revisit the Guado and the Thunder)

'Guadosalam… Never thought I'd be back so soon.' Rayne sighed, 'I wonder if I'm still remembered here…' She thought about it, then winced, 'Perhaps going through Guadosalam is not the best of ideas…'

Deciding to get through as fast as possible, Rayne took a deep breath and walked forward briskly, entering the glowing green arch entrance of Guadosalam.

She managed to avoid being sighted for the first thirty seconds before a Guado noticed her. Within ten seconds, nearly every Guado in the city was before her, on their knees.

"Please, Lady Guardian!" Tromell Guado cried, "Please, strike us down where we stand for our transgression against the Ronso, the heart of Spira, and the Lady Yuna!"

Rayne twitched, 'No wonder I was the only passenger on that Shoopuf…' "Master Tromell, what is going on here?"

"Aye, I am Tromell," Tromell sighed, his body trembling, "But 'master' no more. We Guado are the scourge of Spira, and deserve to be slaughtered for what we have done."

"For the love of…" Rayne sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She then unsheathed her staff, raising it over her head and smacking Tromell upside the head with the pole, ignoring the cries of several Guado. "Act as an example for you people and quit demeaning yourself!"

Yes, she did agree that the Guado made some stupid mistakes, and, yes, they were mostly to blame for their actions, but did that merit the death of an entire race? She hardly thought so.

"Tromell, is there somewhere you and I can talk?" She swayed, already feeling the pull of the Farplane, "And where I can sit?"

The Guado sighed ruefully, but nodded, holding out his arm to support her as he led her into the inn alcove. After the rest of the Guado had filed out and Rayne had sat, Tromell asked, "What, Lady Rayne, do you wish of me?"

"That you think clearly about what you are asking me to do." Rayne spat, scowling, "Yes, your people are at fault for many things, but you can hardly accept the blame of one man against your entire nation."

"Oh, my Lady, but we can." Tromell moaned, "We should have accepted help when we could, listened to the late Maester Jyscal's request and stopped Seymour from doing what he did, but we did none of these things. Now, we are tainted beyond salvation."

"Hardly." Rayne rolled her eyes, "And please quit being melodramatic. This is tiring enough without having to listen to you prattle on and wallow in self-pity."

Tromell bowed his head, "Forgive me, Lady Rayne." He paused, then bowed his head even lower, "Forgive me once more, but may I ask your advice?"

Rayne blinked, then nodded, "You may."

Though she hardly considered it possible, Tromell managed to bow even lower, "What are we to do now?"

Rayne blinked again, realizing that the Guado who currently held the most power and sway over the rest of the Guado nation was asking her what to do with his people.

'And go figure he would ask when I'm basically drunk off of the Farplane.' Rayne thought, sighing and swaying slightly, "I don't suppose I could get you to cut the melancholy act?"

"We Guado must act in accordance and be repentant for what we have done." Was Tromell's immediate answer.

Rayne nodded, "Fine. Well, then, the first thing I would suggest is leaving Guadosalam."

Tromell raised his head, looking at her in shock, "Leave Guadosalam?"

"Think about it," She began, "If any of the other races of Spira were suddenly to amass an assault against you, the first place they would strike would be Guadosalam. You can hardly be repentant if you're dead, now can you? In addition, Yevon will come wanting the Farplane, which may also lead to a struggle. Besides, I can't imagine your people liking being so close to the Farplane at this point."

Tromell shook his head, "That we do not…"

"Go to the forest." Rayne nodded, "Hide there and, when things have blown over, try to make amends with Spira. My suggestion would be to start with the Ronso."

"You speak as though Sin will not attack again." Tromell shook his head, "It is my understanding that Lady Yuna has been declared even more traitorous than she was when she was initially branded; what of your pilgrimage? Who will defeat Sin? No." The Guado sighed, "We Guado will more than likely be consumed with the next Sin attack. I do thank you, though, for your advice on leaving Guadosalam; I believe we Guado will do just that."

"Fair enough." Rayne nodded, closing her eyes and groaning when a wave of nausea washed over her. "I think I should leave now; being this close to the Farplane is making me ill."

Tromell stood, holding out his arm, "I shall escort you to the Thunder Plains."

Dazed and teetering, Rayne allowed him to lead her out of the inn alcove and through the crowds of despairing Guado. When the Thunder Plains were in sight and she felt a bit steadier, Rayne pulled away from Tromell and walked forward, stopping a few feet away and turning back.

"When the time comes, Tromell, and the responsibility falls to you, I expect you to do a better job than Seymour at leading your people."

Tromell just blinked and stared at her, "Lady Rayne?"

She shook her head, "You'll understand when the time comes." She then turned and walked away, raising her hand in a parting wave, knowing that it would probably be the last time she would see the Guado and their marvelous city of Guadosalam.

* * *

Sighing heavily, Rayne lifted her hand and jumped back, watching blankly as a bolt of lightning struck the area she had just occupied. Waving her raised hand slightly to regain her balance, Rayne centered herself and continued walking.

"A few months ago, this part of the pilgrimage had seemed so… exciting." She frowned, "Now it's just annoying." She paused, staring ahead for a moment before sighing and walking in, "And now I've resorted to talking to myself. Greeeaat."

"Wub wub?"

Rayne paused again, turning slowly and staring down at the small creature by her feet. A small qactuar, smaller than any she had seen, stared up at her. It tilted its head.

"Wub?"

Rayne blinked slowly, "Just so you know, I hate qactuars. But, you are a baby, and I don't condone attacking babies. So, for the moment, I am going to forget what you are and let you walk away unharmed. I suggest you take advantage of my moment of weakness."

The little green arms tweaked into the air and the qactuar jumped, "Wub wub!"

"No. You stay here." Rayne sighed and smacked herself in the forehead, "Great, now I'm talking to fiends." Shaking her head, she turned back down the path and walked in, ignoring the 'wubbing' of the little cactus.

She was so intent on ignoring the little creature that she missed the telltale flash that warned of lightning, and was nearly struck before something grabbed her skirt and pulled her back. Rayne watched, shocked, as the lightning struck down, then turned and stared down at the small qactuar that was holding the hem of her skirt.

The qactuar looked up at her and, letting go of her skirt, tilted on one foot and blinked, "Wub?"

Rayne stared at the qactuar for a moment, then asked, "You want to come with me, then?"

The cactus closed its eyes and rocked back and forth excitedly, "Wub, wub, wub, wub, wub!"

"Why is it I always attract odd creatures?" Rayne muttered to herself, sighing before she smiled down at the cactus and said, "Fine. You can come with me until the end of the Thunder Plains."

"Wub, wub!" The qactuar exclaimed, jumping onto Rayne's leg and nuzzling her, "Wub!"

"Thorns, thorns!" Rayne growled, shaking her pained leg until the small creature fell off. Sighing, she turned to continue down the path, painfully aware of the small, comical noises that the small cactus made as it walked after her, sounding like it was walking on tiny horns.

Absently batting aside several Kusariqqu, Rayne only had to really worry about thunder strikes and the impending threat of going insane on the squeaky cactus behind her.

Just when she was developing a pattern she was comfortable with, she was staring down at the silver expanse of Macalania Woods. Her time on the Thunder Plains had ended without her even noticing.

'Just when did I pass Rin's Travel Agency?' She sighed, 'Of course, go figure _I_ would zone out long enough to cut two days of travel down to one without even realizing it.' "Well, little friend," She turned to the qactuar, smiling sadly, "Looks like this is where we part."

The small cactus stared up at her for a moment, then fell onto its back and started flailing its arms and legs, wailing pitifully.

"Quit that!" Rayne hissed, abashed. "You're acting pathetic!"

The cactus just wailed louder.

"Fine, fine!" Rayne ceded, glancing around nervously for any fiends, "You can come as long as you quit that wailing!"

The reaction to this was instantaneous: The qactuar stopped wailing, jumped to its feet, and started down the path to Macalania Woods.

Rayne stared after it, twitching, "That… little… brat!" Still twitching, she ran after the pompous, manipulative little cactus.

Already knowing the way, the cactus ran into the forest and up the path made of light, pausing every now and then to make sure Rayne was still behind him. And she was… for the most part.

Unsure if it was her lacking fitness, lower body strength, or age (she thought this last part with great chagrin), Rayne found it difficult to run for more than twenty feet at a time before she had to slow down to a fast walk. One time she thought she saw the faint glow of a pyrefly on her arm, though she thought (and hoped) that it was just the reflection of the glowing trees around her against her sweat.

'If it was a pyerfly, though… then the fayth know the dream is about to end…'

The glow faded as quickly as it shone, and in what seemed to be the same amount of time the Macalania Woods gave way to Macalania Lake, and Rayne found herself slowing down in order to think of a way to sneak into the temple.

'No way will I have been forgotten,' She though, 'And they won't just let me walk in…' Rayne frowned, 'Will I have to fight my way in? …If so, this will most likely end badly.'

"Rayne!"

She stopped and turned upon hearing Lulu call out to her, blinking when the Black Mage and Auron walked up, "Oh, right. I was supposed to meet you in Macalania, wasn't I?"

"Hm, your memory really _is_ going, isn't it?" Auron scoffed.

"Oh, shut up, Auron." Rayne rolled her eyes.

"Huhmm." Lulu coughed, successfully preventing the impending argument, "You were… chasing something when you ran passed us."

Rayne gasped, "That's right!" She looked down the path to the temple, glaring, "Where is that little demon seed?!"

"Demon… seed?" Lulu quirked a brow.

"The little qactuar!" Rayne growled, squinting for any hint of green in the white landscape.

"Qactuar?" Auron frowned, "You've been traveling… with a qactaur?"

Rayne glanced at him, smirking, "Don't tell me you're jealous."

"Hardly."

"Huhmm!"

"Right…" Rayne smiled sheepishly at her fellow mage, "Sorry, Lu. The squabbling of a bitter married couple is probably the _last_ thing you want to hear, huh?"

"Oh, so now we're bitter?" Auron asked.

Rayne shrugged, "I'd say you're bitter enough for the both of us."

Auron scowled, "I swear, this is _not_ what I signed up for when I agreed to marry you."

Lulu looked between them, her eyes wide, "Is this what happens to _all_ couples after marriage?!"

Rayne and Auron exchanged looks, then turned back to Lulu and shrugged, "Basically."

Lulu blinked, "And you're both aware of it?"

"Yes." Auron and Rayne answered simultaneously.

"Then why—"

"It's one of the joys of marriage." Rayne answered, smirking.

Auron rolled his eyes, "Don't bother trying to figure it out."

Lulu looked between them, "You two… enjoy fighting?"

Rayne smirked and Auron pinched the bridge of his nose, "Why did you ask?"

"Think of it as foreplay." Rayne basically sang.

Seeing the look of horror and embarrassment on Lulu's face, Auron shook his head, "I told you not to try to figure it out."

Lulu stared at Rayne, "Rayne… I will never look at you the same again."

Rayne smirked, "Of course you won't, Lu."

Auron stared at Lulu imploringly, "Try being married to her."

At that moment, the qactuar chose to reappear and jumped up onto Rayne's back, hugging her neck tightly, "Wubub!"

"THORNS!!"

* * *

Later, as the foursome approached Macalania Temple, Rayne trailed behind and looked down at her arm. Staring closely, she saw her pyreflies stirring.

'Just hold on a bit longer,' She thought, pulling her sleeve back over her arm, 'Soon… soon we'll rest.'


	56. Little Unwanted Wonder

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Little Unwanted Wonder)

Oddly enough, when the group of three humans and a qactuar arrived at the temple, they found no resistance to meet them; the Guado had cleared out and, apparently, Bevelle no longer recognized them as traitors.

After they had rested just outside of the temple the night before (in case they needed to be prepared for battle), entered (shockingly easily), learned that they were no longer traitors to the temple (no one could explain why), got the symbol of Shiva, and were nearly out the door when Rayne had to make an emergency stop to the bathroom.

After loosing what was left of her dinner and all of her breakfast, Rayne stormed out sour, both in mood and mouth. She couldn't, for the life of her, think of what she had eaten to make herself sick. After brushing it off as some infection in the fiend stake (she swore never to eat Evil Eye again), she insisted that they push on.

As they walked, she held the silver necklace in her hand and stared at the back, studying the six present symbols of the aeons. 'All I have left are Bahamut and Anima… I wonder how I'll get back into Bevelle…'

"Rayne." She looked up, blinking when Auron nodded and gestured to a save sphere, "To the Fahrenheit."

Nodding, she walked up to the blue sphere and touched it, warping back to the ship and swaying when the sickening feeling of nausea washed over her.

"Bathroom." She muttered to Cid, covering her mouth with her hand.

Cid blinked at her, "In the cargo bay—" She was out the door before he could finish.

She upchucked what little she had in her stomach, most of which was bile and thus she had a raw throat, then came back to the hallway of the bridge grumpy. She glared at Auron, "What're we doing now?"

Auron didn't open his eye to answer, "Picking up the rooster and the hyper girl. Then, we're going to Bevelle."

Rayne stared at him, then said, "After that, we're going to Baaj. Then, the Omega Ruins. I honestly don't care where we go after that; Sin, I guess."

The single, functioning brown eye the man possessed flickered open at this, focusing on his wife with careful scrutiny, "You… don't care? …Are you alright?"

"Fine." Rayne snapped, narrowing her eyes, "Why do you ask, Auron?"

He stared at her, then slowly replied, "I would have thought you would have tried to drag this last stage out for at least a month. To give up after two days… it's not like you. That, and I never knew you to be airsick."

Rayne sighed, irritated, "I wasn't airsick, _Auron_, I probably ate some back fiend stake."

"You also have a much shorter fuse that usual." Auron observed, mostly to himself.

Rayne stared at him for a moment, her expression highly annoyed. Then, in a complete flip, it softened dramatically and she hunched slightly, approaching Auron's side like a kicked dog, "Sorry, sweetheart, I guess I'm just… tired."

Auron stared at her again, then softly commanded, "Go take a nap, then. There should still be cots set up in the cargo bay."

Nodding demurely, she turned and shuffled out of the hall, the door closing behind her.

After staring after her for a moment, Auron walked onto the bridge and demanded of Lulu, "What did you put in her food?"

* * *

Rayne slept… and slept… and slept… and, for a change of pace, she slept some more. She slept heavily and deeply, and no one could wake her, despite the valiant efforts of the combined Tidus and Rikku (who were honestly shocked, after all of the threats and jabs they threw at her, that they were still alive and she was still unconscious).

After she had slept for several days, Wakka suggested that they simply tip the cot over and run for it, but Lulu (already having several ideas about her condition, one of which could be easily compromised if she were to suffer a fall) promptly smacked Wakka upside the head with a block of ice for suggesting this, then banished everyone from the cargo bay and demanded that she be the only one to care for her.

While the others, unwilling and unsure of how to continue the pilgrimage with both of their mages out of commission, spent their time leveling up their Sphere Grids while Lulu spent her time taking care of Rayne.

One day, when Lulu was carefully removing Rayne's armor to get a look at her stomach, Rayne groggily woke up and stared at Lulu, her jacket removed and the armor already unlaced.

"Lu?" She yawned, blinking her eyes sleepily.

The younger Black Mage paused, then removed the armor completely and set it aside. "Rayne… what do you know about fiends?"

Rayne blinked, taking a moment to make her tired brain work before answering, "They're… the malicious unsent wills and pyreflies of the previously living, right?"

Lulu nodded, "Right. And… what is their nature?"

"They prey on the living…"

"Correct." Lulu nodded, then paused before asking, "Rayne… you have seen fiend nests, right?"

Rayne quirked a brow, sitting up, albeit slowly and somewhat uncomfortably, "Yes, just as I have seen young fiends, adolescent fiends, old fiends, and dead fiends. What of it?"

"This would mean that fiends are capable of reproduction, right?"

"It… would be safe to assume…" Rayne answered slowly, frowning.

"…And aren't unsent, like Sir Auron and yourself, also… fiends? Or, at least the onset; you have physical forms, wills, and you are composed of pyreflies, right?"

"Like most other beings in Spira," Rayne's frown deepened, "Only the only thing holding us together is sheer will. If we were to simply let go, we'd either become fiends or disperse in pyreflies. Lu, what are you getting at?"

"Rayne…" Lulu sighed, then lowered her eyes to Rayne's abdomen.

Slowly, Rayne looked down at her stomach, blinking slowly at the swell she saw there. "…Well… I've gained some weight, haven't I?" She blinked, "I'll have to do some major training to work that off…"

"Rayne, when's the last time you had your period?"

Rayne looked up sharply, her eyes narrowing, "Lu, I'm an unsent. I don't have typical body functions like you—"

"You are no 'typical unsent'," Lulu cut in, "You're a fayth who managed to dream herself back into the world of the living. You've been in contact with Sin and you've been living, eating, defecating, and aging like a normal human for the past ten years. When's the last time you had your period?"

"Auron and I have only had sex once." Rayne grumbled, gritting her teeth.

"And I assume it was the night you… consummated your marriage?"

"Yes, which was—"

"Nearly a month ago. …Rayne, you've had morning sickness and mood swings…"

"But your calculations, Lulu, I've only been pregnant a month. Women hardly look this along," Rayne pointed to her slightly swelled stomach, "Until they're a few months in. That, and even if I am more human that most unsent, Auron is still a typical unsent—"

"You're a dreamer, Rayne." Lulu stated softly, "If your body believed it was going to get pregnant from that experience, then perhaps you—"

"'Dreamed life into me'?" Rayne finished, scoffing, "Yeah, right." She looked down at her stomach and poked it, "I wonder if I have a tumor…"

Lulu sighed, "Rayne, let me ask this at least. Do your breasts feel enlarged or tender?"

"If only to humor you," Rayne said, rolling her eyes as she lifted her hand to her chest, "I'll— shit!" She pulled her hand back sharply, looking down at her chest with wide eyes, "That hurt!" She paused, then blinked, "Oh my Spira… that hurt…"

"Rayne… when are you due for your period?"

Rayne looked at Lulu, her eyes wide, "If I've been asleep for as long as you say… I'm overdue…" Her eyes widened and she desperately began to fumble, "But… it's only been a month! I shouldn't be this far—"

"Being a fayth has probably altered the time duration." Lulu hypothesized calmly, "It has been noted that several fiends are able to reproduce full litters in periods of only four months."

"I'm a fay—"

"The fayth are dreamers." Lulu said, "If they are able to dream Sin and aeons into creation… why not life?"

Rayne froze, staring at Lulu with wide eyes, "Holy shit… I'm pregnant."

* * *

When she felt well enough to walk again, Rayne pushed herself out of her cot and reached for her armor.

"Fasten it loosely." Lulu said, warningly, "And don't do anything that requires too much body movement."

"Shut the hell up." Rayne growled, throwing on her corset and storming out of the room. Her walk was quick and agitated, with Lulu running behind her, telling her to take it easy. She burst onto the bridge, pushing past the rest of the party and locking her sights on Auron. "We need to talk." She said shortly, "Now."

Auron, who had been conferring with Kimahri, frowned down at her, "Now? We're getting ready to go to Bevelle."

"Now, Auron!" Rayne snapped.

Sighing heavily, Auron shook his head and said, "I can't. We're over Bevelle right now and we all need to be together. Just tell me here."

"Fine." Rayne hissed, narrowing her eyes at him, "I'm pregnant."

The bridge, which had just been alive with mumbled conversations, went silent.

"What?" Brother asked, in Al Bhed, after a moment of silence, "What did she say?"

"I said I'm pregnant, damn it!" Rayne shouted in Al Bhed, effectively shutting Brother up.

"…Are you sure?" Auron asked.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Rayne looked up at him, "Not entirely, but all signs seem to point to it." There was another tense silence.

"…That's great!" Tidus exclaimed, trying to sound cheery.

The others took the hint and started, each shouting their congratulations, though not that enthusiastic considering how grim Rayne and Auron looked.

"This isn't a good thing!" Rayne snapped, cutting everyone off, "This is a very, very bad thing!"

"'Course it is, for you." Cid nodded, "It means your part in this pilgrimage is done." He shouted to Brother in Al Bhed, "Set a course for Besaid!"

"Belay that!" Rayne shouted in like, glaring at Cid, "I am _not _going back to Besaid! Not now!"

"But… Rayne…" Yuna began hesitantly, "Your child—"

"An accident and, if nothing else, a monstrosity!" Rayne shouted, taking note of the looks of shock and horror that the others gave her, "Well, it will be! Think about it, you idiots! Unsent aren't meant to reproduce! Fayth aren't meant to reproduce! I'm composed largely of fucking pyreflies, alright?! And since unsent and fayth can't be _born_, there's only one thing left on Spira that's composed of pyreflies that it could be, and that's a fucking fiend! I'd end up giving birth to an Ogre or even a fucking Bandersnatch!"

"Rayne!" Yuna shouted, horrified.

"I'll have to abort it." Rayne muttered, mostly to herself, turning away and looking out the window, "Last thing I need is to push a damned Iron Giant out of myself…"

"She can't be alone." Lulu said suddenly, staring right at Rayne, "She really will try to kill it…"

"My god, Lulu, it hardly matters!" Rayne shouted, glaring at the younger mage, "As soon as we defeat Sin, I'll end up going to the Farplane, anyway, so it doesn't really make a difference if I keep the damned thing alive or no—" She was cut off when Auron lunged at her.

Grabbing her arms, Auron spun her to face him and glared down at her, his sunglasses removed and his cowl pushed aside so she could see is face clearly. "Do not," He growled dangerously, "Talk about our child that way."

Rayne glared up at him, "I. Cannot. Have. A baby."

"I'm aware of that," Auron growled, his tone a bit softer, "But it's still our child, no matter how impossible or how immoral. Don't talk about it like that."

They stared at each other for some time, Rayne's glare gradually softening until she fell against him and burst into tears.

Rubbing her back, Auron nodded to the others and led her out of the room, taking to back to the cargo room and sitting down with her on the cot.

"I wanted a child…" Rayne sobbed, "So bad, Auron. I knew… when I found out I was a fayth, that it was impossible… and then it became even more impossible and just _wrong_ when I found out that you were an unsent… And that, when this was all over, you and I would both cross over. …Why… why _now_ did this have to happen? Why couldn't it have happened when things were normal?"

"That's life." Auron answered, pulling her against him. "Things sometimes just… happen that we have no control over."

Rayne shuddered, "What'll happen to it?"

Auron sighed, then said, "More than likely, it's not even a real embryo. It's probably just a representation of a child created by a condensed mass of your own pyreflies. It'll be sent when you are, and then it'll be reborn once its pyreflies are reconfigured."

Shuddering again, Rayne laughed hollowly, "Someone out there hates me…"

"Probably." Auron chuckled.

There was a pause, then Rayne looked up at Auron with bloodshot blue eyes and asked, "So… what now?"

"Things continue as normal." Auron nodded, "You'll be hindered, but you aren't a melee fighter so as long as you stay back far enough you should be fine."

Rayne nodded, lowering her gaze, "I… I'm sorry for how I acted, Auron. …I love you."

"And I love you." Auron said, softly laying his hand across her armored stomach, "And had we had a normal life, I think I would have loved this, too."

"I know we both would have." Rayne smiled, leaning into his chest and laying her hand over his.

They sat like this for some time before Auron pulled away, "Let's go. We have to speak to Mika in Bevelle."

* * *

As a side note from Rayna, I know I hit a fairly touchy subject, so I thought it best to say this: I neither condone nor encourage abortion. I believe that it is the choice of both the mother and father if they seriously want to abort, but I also wish that women (and men) would be safer in their sex and that they seriously think about the consequences of their actions so that abortion is, as it should be, a last resort.

And, as another side note: Yes, I do enjoy being cruel to my characters. . It's fun to watch them squirm (though sometimes it is painful to write, like it was in this chapter). But, when I put them in awkward situations, I thuroughly enjoy it. And, yes, I am aware of the fact that there is something wrong with me.


	57. The Last Length Begins

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(The Last Length Begins)

"Infidel!" A soldier of Bevelle shouted, he and his partner pointing their guns at the group.

Wakka groaned, "Man, don't these guys ever give up?!"

"Remind you of anyone?" Rayne muttered in his direction, smirking.

Wakka threw her a look, then faced forward again and braced himself when the Warrior Monks shouted, "You'll regret showing your face here! We'll strike you down in the name of Yevon!"

"Blah, blah, blah." Tidus rolled his eyes, "Yeah, so? Guys?" He glanced back at the others, smirking.

"If they want a fight, let's give 'em one!" Rikku exclaimed, pulling on her knuckles and crouching.

"Gladly." Rayne drew Anaxagoras, smirking.

"Prepare to charge!" One of the monks said, finger twitching towards the trigger of his gun.

"Stop!" Someone shouted. Then, naïve, devout Shelinda ran up, pushing between the men and standing between the monks and the party.

"C-captain?" One of the monks asked, lowering his gun.

"Lady Yuna," Shelinda began, panting, "Is not to be harmed! She's no traitor! That is an evil rumor spread by the Al Bhed!"

Rikku bristled at this, "What?!"

"Maester Mika, himself, told me." Shelinda went on, ignoring Rikku's protest.

The monks were at a loss. "Then… what should we do?"

"Stand down!" Rikku commanded in a mocking voice, making the monks glare at her and move as if to attack.

"As she says!" Shelinda commanded firmly.

When the monks complied immediately, Rayne smirked at the acolyte, "Go, Shelinda!"

"Hold it," Rikku pushed forward, glaring at Shelinda, "What was that about 'evil Al Bhed'?"

Shelinda turned to the group, shaking her head slowly, "Truly… I do not understand it myself. All Yevon seems to be in a state of confusion. Why, yesterday they called me out of the blue and made me captain of the guard!"

Rayne burst into laughter at this and Auron chuckled, "Short on believers?"

"Yes," Shelinda nodded ruefully, "The chaos in the temples is worse than I'd imagined. It's horrible! And all the priests do is blame each other." She lowered her head, defeated, "I worry what will become of Yevon… But no!" She looked up, passion in her eyes, "I must be the rock that stands against the swirling tides, right? Lady Yuna, I must tell you, your courage has been a great inspiration to me."

Tidus groaned, rolling his head, "Yeah, that's great, but we came here to see Maester Mika. Is he here?"

Taken aback, Shelinda blinked, "Y-yes, I shall arrange an audience. Please wait in the courtroom." She then turned and walked away.

"Hey, hey, wait! What was all that about the Al Bhed lying and stuff?" Rikku yelled after her, still irate.

"Simple," Everyone turned to Auron, who shrugged, "Yuna has become Mika's only hope."

"Oh…" Rikku frowned, "Okay…" She and Tidus exchanged confused glances.

Rayne rolled her eyes and sighed, "By using the Al Bhed as a scapegoat and exonerating Yuna, Mika now has a powerful summoner to fight Sin."

"Oh…" Rikku and Tidus said at the same time, nodding slowly.

Lulu raised a hand to her head and sighed, "Just what does he think he can get away with?"

"Let's see…" Rayne began with mock contemplation, "Being the Grand Maester of Spira… whatever he damn well pleases, I guess."

"Not anymore." Tidus shook his head, then turned to Yuna, "Let's teach him some manners!"

Yuna nodded, smiling, "Yes, let's."

* * *

"Why are you here?" Mika demanded of them as soon as they walked into the room, "You must go and defeat Sin, quickly! You have obtained the Final Aeon from Yunalesca, have you not?" He turned to the group, his eyes landing on Rayne immediately and widening, "You're—"

"Can we leave my embryo out of this?" Rayne snapped, knowing already of an unsent's ability to sense other unsent. "Back to the matter at hand! The question was, have we obtained the aeon from Yunalesca or not, and Tidus's answer is…" She trailed off, pointing to Tidus dramatically.

"Well…" He shrugged, "We did _meet_ her…"

"We fought and defeated her." Yuna answered bluntly.

Mika took a step back, "What?!"

Auron took a step forward, growling, "Summoners and guardians will be sacrificed for the Final Summoning no more!"

"You have profaned and subverted a thousand-year-old tradition?" Mika, horrified, wailed, "Fools! Infants! Do you realize what you've done? You've taken away the only means of calming Sin!"

"Hey, maybe that's not the only way!" Tidus said, sounding enthusiastic, "We think we've got another."

Mika burst into nervous laughter, "'Another way'? Why… preposterous! There is no other way!"

"The Grand Maester, running away?" Auron asked, sounding disgusted.

"Spira has lost its only hope. Destruction is inevitable." Mika moaned, turning and leaning against the railing behind him, "Yu Yevon's spiral of death will consume us all. I have no desire to watch Spira die."

"It won't die!" Yuna said, trying to calm the man.

"Who is this 'Yu Yevon' guy?" Tidus asked Lulu, who had become his primary source of information.

Lulu shrugged, recalling, "Lady Yunalesca also mentioned him…"

"Wait, gramps!" Rikku said suddenly, addressing Mika, "Who's Yu Yevon?"

Mika shook his head, sighing dejectedly, "He who crafts the souls of the dead into unholy armor. An armor called Sin. Clad in it, Yu Yevon is invincible. And the only thing that could have pierced that armor, you have destroyed! Nothing can stop it now." He raised his arms, disappearing.

"Disappear on us, will ya?!" Wakka yelled after him, shaking his fist, "Rotten son of a shoopuf!"

At that moment, Shelinda ran up on a nearby balcony and looked down at them, shocked, "Where's the Grand Maester?"

Yuna turned to her, biting her lip, "He… um…"

"He's not here." Rayne cut in, frowning and crossing her arms.

Auron also frowned at the acolyte, "How much longer must we wait?"

"That's odd…" Shelinda backed away, bowing apologetically, "I'll go look for His Grace." She then walked off.

"And while she's gone," Rayne muttered, turning to the others, "We leave."

Auron nodded, "Exactly." They made to walk off, then noticed that Yuna and Tidus were talking to empty space.

"Who you talkin' to?" Wakka asked.

"Uh?" Tidus and Yuna turned, blinking when they saw everyone staring at them, "Oh… no one."

"I must go see the fayth." Yuna said, addressing Auron and Rayne.

Auron quirked a brow, chuckling, "I see."

Yuna turned to Rayne, "They want you—"

"To come." Rayne nodded, "Alright, let's go." She nodded to Auron, "Take the others to the Highbridge. We'll be there soon."

* * *

Rayne waited outside the Chamber of the Fayth, rubbing a thumb over the newly added symbol of Bahamut on her silver necklace pendant. Apparently, the fayth had known that she hadn't gotten his crest yet and had only called her down for that. Whatever Tidus and Yuna were talking about with him was a private matter.

After a few moments Tidus and Yuna emerged, the summoner nodding to her guardian, "He… wants to see you, now."

Blinking, Rayne walked forward and stood before the door of the Chamber, walking through once it had opened.

"We'll wait here!" Tidus called as the door shut.

Walking forward slowly, Rayne stood before the fayth stone and waited, looking up when the boy appeared.

He stared at her for a moment, then sat down in midair and looked at her stomach. "Congratulations."

This made Rayne angry, but the anger dissipated and left her tired. Sighing, she shifted her weight to one leg and cradled her swollen abdomen, muttering, "Don't patronize me. It's not like I'll ever see it born."

"I wouldn't be too sure about tha—"

"For the last time, Bahamut," Rayne growled, her anger returning, "Don't fuck with me."

"Sorry." Bahamut lowered his gaze, "I guess you're too hormonally imbalanced to listen to anything else I have to say about that?"

"Yes, I am."

Bahamut nodded, "Okay." He paused, then said, "Hey, listen, what is it you want to do after the pilgrimage?"

Rayne blinked, frowning, "I'm a fayth, right? I'm assuming that I won't have a choice; after the pilgrimage I'll come back with all of you and sleep dreamlessly."

"But what if you didn't have to? What if you were needed to do some—"

"I'm done, Bahamut." Rayne cut him off again, turning and walking to the exit, "Thanks for the crest and I'll see you at the final fight."

"Bye." He muttered.

Outside of the Chamber, Rayne stormed to the door and muttered irately to Tidus and Yuna, "Let's get out of here."

Tidus wanted to ask, but Yuna threw him a silencing glance and followed Rayne, keeping close behind her, but not too close, and keeping her head lowered. Tidus followed behind them both, unsure.

When they arrived at the Highbridge and the others saw them, Auron chuckled, making Rayne's gaze snap in his direction with a questioning look on her face.

He chuckled again and shook his head, "If you had managed to stay that angry the whole time, Yuna would have only needed one guardian for the whole pilgrimage. The rest of us would have been… superfluous."

Rayne rolled her eyes, about to snap back when Shelinda ran up.

"I'm afraid the Grand Maester is nowhere to be found!"

"S'okay." Tidus waved her off, "We were just leaving."

"Oh," Shelinda nodded, crossing her arms, "I see…"

"Hey!" Rikku said suddenly, "Maybe you could help us with the hymn!"

Tidus smiled widely, "Hey, good idea!"

Rayne turned to Auron, frowning, "Huh?"

"You need to pay attention more often." Auron rolled his eyes, "Listen."

"It's like, we need you to tell as many people as you can." Rikku nodded.

"What should I tell them?" Shelinda asked, looking happy to be able to help in some way.

"A ship in the sky will see the hymn of the fayth," Rikku smiled, "When they hear it, we need everyone to sing along!"

"Everyone in Spira!" Wakka exclaimed.

Shelinda blinked, tilting her head, "I'm not sure… I understand."

"You don't need to." Rikku shook her head, "Just tell as many people as you can."

Shelinda thought about this for a moment, then repeated, "A ship in the sky will sing the Hymn of the Fayth?" She paused, then went on, "So when they hear it, everyone should sing along, correct?"

"They do, we might be able to beat Sin!" Tidus exclaimed, raising a fist.

"Truly?!" Shelinda smiled, clasping her hands in front of her chest.

"Yes!" Yuna nodded.

"That's wonderful!" Shelinda's smile widened further, "You can count on me! I shall tell all of Spira!"

The group turned to leave, but Shelinda stopped them again.

"Um… Lady Rayne." Rayne turned, nodding to the acolyte, who wrung her hands, "I… I'd like to have your advice on something."

Rayne blinked, then walked forward and led Shelinda a ways off from the others, standing close and muttering, "Yeah, what's wrong?"

"I…" Shelinda lowered her gaze, "With Grand Maester Mika missing, I'm the highest ranking person in Bevelle…" She looked at Rayne, her eyes widened in fear, "If something is wrong with His Grace, what do I do?"

Rayne thought, frowning, then answered, "Seek out a summoner and bring them here. Use them as a figurehead to placate the people, and use their advice to lead the people as best you can."

Shelinda nodded, performing the prayer, "Thank you, Lady Rayne."

Rayne shook her head, smiling and pulling the girl into a brief hug, "Good luck, Shelinda, and goodbye. You were a bit naïve… but if I were to have any Yevonite's loyalty on my side, it would be yours."

Shelinda hugged her back silently, then stepped back and watched as the summoning party left Bevelle.

* * *

"To Baaj." Rayne muttered when they were back on the Fahrenheit, leaving the bridge and heading to the cargo bay. There, she sat down on her cot and took off her corset, staring at her stomach.

Raising a tentative hand, she placed it on her stomach and focused, feeling her pyreflies. They stirred inside of her and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

She felt… warm. There was warmth all around, and she felt weightless. But there was nothing else there. Relaxing, she moved forward, only to bump into something.

Rayne's eyes snapped open and her concentration broke, forcing her to suck in a deep, shocked breath. Auron had been wrong. What was in her womb… was more than just concentrated pyreflies.

She had felt its form, and that form was human. It had a basic consciousness, and it had felt her presence. But… not only had it felt her presence, it had responded.

As soon as she had touched it, it had twitched, moving closer to her.

No… it wasn't a just a ball of pyreflies.

"It's life…" Rayne muttered, wrapping her arms around her stomach, "It's… my baby." She thought about it, then smiled, "I have life… inside of me…" Rayne then burst into tears, "I… I'm so sorry that I can't… give you the life you deserve. But I promise," She looked down at her abdomen with a watery smile, "When we're on the Farplane together; you, me, and Auron, we'll be happy, we'll be a family. I swear it."

Slowly, Rayne lay down on her bed, laying on her back and cradling her stomach.

"My baby…"

* * *

Gaea, do I feel so friggin swamped!

See, I recently started college, and shortly before that I got a job. Now, every day that I'm not in school I have work, and just yesterday I adopted two kittens who aren't even a week old and who demand a feeding every two hours. Between all of that and homework, I'm loaded.

Smiles widely Fortunately, I have my fanfictions and my Playstation to keep me sane.

Oh, and by the way: adopts a dreamy tone and a far-off gaze I see the end to this story on the horizon. Tone fades and smile returns So expect more, and more frequent, updates for this story! (Oh, and don't worry. I am working on the other ones. Slowly and painfully...)


	58. Fragmented Reality

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Fragmented Reality)

"Holy shit, my little sister's pregnant!" Michael screamed, jumping to his feet and dropping the controller.

"Holy shit, your little sister's a fayth." Sebastian muttered, quirking a brow and glancing at his friend, "Dude, you have one fucked-up family."

"Michael," Heather whispered, looking at the screen with wide eyes, "When they beat Sin, your sister will… disappear…"

"Damn," Michael muttered, crossing his arms and pacing the living room frantically, "Well… we'll just turn the game off." He concluded, looking down at the system, "If it's off, they can't continue, right? I mean, the story only progresses if we play… right?"

Heather and Sebastian stared at Michael for a moment, the former shrugging, "Well, I guess, but… do you really want to leave your sister on 'Pause' forever?"

Michael stared at the screen, studying the scene of his sister staring at the camera/ceiling with a smile on her face and the white-lettered 'Pause' typed across the middle of the screen. "Yes." He said after a moment, walking over to the game and pressing the 'Start' button, moving Tidus to the Save Point and saving the game. "I do." He then turned the game off.

"Michael!" Heather exclaimed, jumping to her feet, "Sweetheart, you can't do this!"

"And why not?!" Michael demanded, whirling around to stare down at her, "Should I play out the rest of the game and kill my sister? Heather, this is more than just a game; there are _lives_ at stake, here!"

"But it's their choice, Mike." Sebastian explained calmly, standing, "If they want to do this, we really have no right to stop them, even if we do have the power."

"Seb, _we're_ the ones directing them to their deaths!" Michael yelled, infuriated.

"But it's still _their_ choice." Sebastian said, still calm.

The living room fell silent and still for several moments, the three young college freshman thinking intently about the situation.

Michael broke the spell by knelling beside the PlayStation and removing the disk. He then popped the disk back into its case and stood, walking silently out of the room.

Heather made to follow him, and Sebastian let her, instead walking over to the PlayStation and taking the memory card. 'It's a good thing this family is completely stupid about the workings of a PlayStation… otherwise he would have had half a mind to take this.' Sighing, he stood and shoved the card into his pocket.

Raising his arms over his head and yawning, Sebastian walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, glancing at the calendar as he pulled out a carton of orange juice.

Though several months had apparently passed in the game, in their world (that is, the world of Michael, Heather, and Sebastian; our perceived Earth) it had only been three days.

Drinking from the carton, Sebastian's brow furrowed in thought. 'She's ten years older, though, and according to Michael she's been missing for… what… four months now? …So, four months gone, ten years aged; then three days played, several months' pilgrimage. That's gotta be…' He paused, then stopped drinking and put the carton back into the refrigerator, 'God, I suck at math. Well, at the very least, we're looking at a ratio of one hour here equaling several there.'

The mysteries and measures of quantum mechanics would and will never be properly understood by mankind, but at the very least Sebastian could make a connection between the many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics and what they were experiencing, there and now, with the Rayne that had once been part of their world and was now in another. He wasn't sure what exactly the connection was, but he knew it was there.

'And why are we able to perceive it?' Sebastian thought, looking up and frowning, 'How was Square able to develop the idea? …Or, more specifically, _who_ _within_ Square originally developed the idea?'

The thought of Rayne originally having dreamt herself onto Earth suggested some kind of astral projection on her part, and if it was possible for her…

'Is it not also possible that someone in Square experienced something similar?' Sebastian blinked, 'Was a single person projected into Spira well enough and long enough for the general idea for this game to have been developed? In which case, did they see the events that are occurring in the game now when they happened then?'

Unfortunately, that would suggest that the events in the game had already played out, and that the fate of Rayne, Tidus and the others had already been absolved.

'But, I can't forget the time difference.' Sebastian thought, 'If time there occurs faster, and Rayne was able to be thrown from a thousand years in the past to nine hundred and ninety, then live out a normal ten years, could the person at Square have been projected into the future? …Still, though, this is an old game, so how…'

Sebastian froze.

'That's it.'

"MICHAEL!" Sebastian ran out of the kitchen, tearing through the living room and heading for his friends room, "MIKE! DON'T DAMAGE THAT DISK!" The door was closed and, his mind fogged by desperation, Sebastian crashed right into it, breaking the handle and nearly knocking it off of its hinges.

"Sebastian?! What the fu—"

"Where's the game?!" Sebastian demanded, pushing Heather out of the way and grabbing his friend by the shoulders, shaking him, "WHERE THE FUCK IS THE DISK, MIKE?!"

"WHAT THE FUCK HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU?!" Michael roared, throwing his friends hands off of his shoulders and shoving him back.

"Mike, listen," Sebastian began, taking a shuddering breath, "No matter what you want to do or feel you need to do in order to protect your sister, you must finish that game, and you must _not_ allow that disk to come to harm."

Michael frowned, "Sebastian? What are you—"

"Shut up and listen!" Sebastian hissed, shaking as he tried to calm himself, "Alright, so you know all that shit those scientists come up with to explain things like… you know, parallel universes? The stuff you mentioned before? And then there's that stuff on astral projection and…" He trailed off, moaning and grabbing his head in an attempt to organize his thoughts.

Heather and Michael stared at him, the latter blinking and saying, "Wow… you've actually been thinking, haven't you?"

Sebastian shook his head, "Don't interrupt or I'll lose it!" He thought for a moment, then swore, "Fuck! …I forgot exactly what it's called, but…" He looked at Michael seriously, "I know you don't want to play, but you have to. If you don't, then the world that that game is connected to could deteriorate. Do you get it? You aren't pausing them! You're killing them!"

Michael froze, "Turning off the game… isn't pausing it?"

"No." Sebastian looked around, "Where's the disk? We have to put it back in and start playing immediately."

"Turning off the game… isn't pausing it…"

"Right." Sebastian nodded, impatiently walking towards Michael's desk and looking around, flipping through papers. "Where did you put the game case?"

"Oh no… Michael…"

Sebastian looked up, glancing at Heather and frowning, "Heather, where's the disk." It wasn't a question anymore.

White-faced and shaking, Heather lifted her hand and pointed to the bed. There, towards the foot of the bed, sat the game case.

A shock went through Sebastian's body, followed by a wave of numbness. Slowly, not daring to look at the face of his friend, he approached the bed, hand outstretched.

* * *

What is reality? Is it what really is? Or is it just what we perceive to be what really is?

When we are young, we are taught that the sky is blue and the grass green. We are taught that certain foods are sweet and others sour. We are taught to seek approval and shy from punishment. Pleasure should be sought and pain feared.

But, what exactly are we comparing these things to? Simple; our parents are simply teaching us what their parents taught them, which was what their parents parents taught them, and the line goes back.

Ultimately, all mankind comes from similar origins, it is merely the varying environments that make us different from what we used to be. These basic things that our parents teach us can be traced all the way back to when we were all closely related; when mankind was a small, simple collection of a selected few.

But, what if someone broke from the norm? What if someone taught that the sky is green, the grass is blue, all food tastes like shit and what we have come to accept as shit is really food, that approval is needed for nothing, that punishment does not exist, and that all there is is pleasure? Well, simply put, that would be one fucked up child.

Still, if the child were separated from all outside stimulus except for the word of the parent, would the child not come to accept what it is told as the truth?

Are we humans so easily programmed that a single word from a parent, delivered when we were young and impressionable, can change our lives drastically?

Is it simply that we are all so similar in our ideals and perceptions of reality because we are all programmed the same way, as it is accepted by a majority of society?

When you break things down into their most basic of basic elements, from erasers to a sliver of human flesh, you will find that everything in the universe is made of the same basic particles; it is simply a different configuration of these particles that makes different objects, like the eraser and the human.

Because these particles are so infinitesimally small, is it not possible that these particles make up more than just our existence? Could they be small enough to slip through space, time, and the boundaries between our world and all the others?

As we zoom out of picturing these tiny particles, we come to the image of a disk. A disk with a silver back and a white stick-on where there should have been a colorful graphic.

When those who are flung by the mysterious forces of astral projection create a copy of what they saw in their lucid dream, they make a bridge from this world to the world they entered. The tool to accessing that world is the copy. Whether it be books, movies, recordings, or, in this case, a game, we now have some level of access to this new world.

When it comes to the complex formatting of a disk game version, you are able to do so much more than just access the world, though; you are able to alter the fine print to your whim. Whether it be not seeking out and recruiting an optional character to your party or changing the final sword you battle with with the one that is seen in cut scenes or the one you labored to customize, you can change aspects of the game.

But you can do more than just change aspects; you can pause the story, save the story, copy and move the story, or even… delete the story.

As fun as it can be, it doesn't change the fact that you are altering another dimension; you are screwing with the lives of other people who are, in most respects, just like you. You are playing God.

When teaching a child that sugar tastes good, you must remember to teach them to take it in moderation, least the child become diabetic. When making a character perform a specific action, you must remember to go for the path of least resistance with the greatest rewards, least you accidentally lead the character into a battle they cannot win.

With a game, you are the adult to their child, your deity to their follower, your Jiminy Cricket to their Pinocchio.

Your decisions may or may not affect the ultimate ending of the overall story, but they sure as hell can affect the personal story of the character you're screwing with.

Is this life nothing more than an elaborate dream? I feel pain, but… sometimes it just doesn't seem real.

What black void awaits us after death?

Will I be conscious in a sea of nothing for the rest of eternity?

In that case, break my disk, because I'd rather be dead and erased from existence than pushed aside simply because I ran out of heartbeats.

* * *

With shaking hands, Sebastian popped open the game case, closing his eyes before he saw the disk.

After a moment, he opened his eyes, staring at what lay inside of the casing.

It was the disk.

And it had been snapped in half.

* * *

Man, I don't know why, but I'm feeling real vindictive... Rayna rereads what she wrote ...Wow.


	59. Defragmentation

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Defragmentation)

"Oh, God," Heather whispered, sinking to her knees, "Oh, God… _no_."

Michael opened his mouth and an odd whining sound came out.

With shaking hands, Sebastian reached out and picked up the two halves of the disk. Holding one in each hand, he turned slowly and stared at Michael, "…Michael… man…"

"F-fuck…" Michael muttered, taking a step back and slamming into the wall, "Shit… fuck, no…"

Sebastian looked down at the broken disk, then looked back up, "Dude… you didn't mea—"

"FUCK!" Michael grabbed his head and slammed himself against the wall repeatedly, punctuating each blow with "FUCK". Slowly, he sunk to the ground, still bashing his back into the wall and screaming, "RAYNE!"

"Michael!" Heather cried, rushing to his side and grabbing his body, "Michael, stop!"

Unhearing, Michael just continued to swear and thrash around, managing to bloody his nose and split his lip.

When he accidentally lashed out and struck Heather, knocking her down, Sebastian dropped the broken disk and lunged at him, pinning him to the floor and shouting in his ear, "Mike, it wasn't your fault! We don't even know if it's really deteriorating! I could be wrong!"

"And what if you aren't?!" Michael yelled back, squirming under his friend, "Seb, you could be right and WE CAN'T TELL!"

"The internet, Mike!" Sebastian said, "Remember? We tried to look it up on the internet and that Bahamut kid stopped us! We can try it again and ask him!" He felt Michael freeze beneath him, then was thrown aside as the hysteric man jumped to his feet and ran to the computer room.

Heather and Sebastian ran after him as quickly as they could, but Michael was so desperate and hysterical that by the time they had gotten there he had already opened the interned, typed in a search engine, and was searching for 'Rayne Final Fantasy X'.

Within seconds, the 'MECHANICAL ERROR' sign was flashing and the screen was white, Bahamut appearing.

"You already know you can't read a story un—"

"No time!" Michael interrupted, "The disk is broken! Is the world dead?!"

"There is more than one disk, Michael." Bahamut smirked, "The disk is simply one in a series of millions of copies. Like a key, the disk only opens the door to the world; and, as I am sure you know, you can always get new copies of keys. What really matters is the world. Do you have the data?"

Inhaling sharply, Sebastian reached into his pocket and pulled out the memory card, holding it up.

Bahamut nodded, "Good. If you had lost the data on that, you would have had to restart, and things might not have gone the same."

"What do you mean?" Michael asked, frowning but now much calmer.

"I mean," Bahamut smirked again, "Things may have changed. Think about it; in the theory of the many-worlds, it is believed that there are countless of existences similar to your own, only each with a single difference. But, as I'm sure three smart young adults like you can imagine, a single difference can alter everything. So, if you had had to restart, the only way you would have gotten the story to progress the way it had would have been to go through all of the steps you had already taken exactly. And that… would have been impossible."

Not wanting to think about the possibilities and near-death experiences that had already happened and could have been replayed in the negative, Michael shook his head and asked, "So, we just need to get a new disk, right?"

"Correct." Bahamut nodded, "But be fast. Pausing life for an extended period of time is never good." The computer shut down.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Michael sank to his knees and lowered his head, raising a hand to rub his temple.

Heather knelt beside him and wrapped an arm around her shoulder and Sebastian took a step back, "I have a copy at my house. I'll go get it." He then ran out.

Shuddering, Heather leaned against Michael's shoulder and stroked his back, whispering words of comfort to him.

Initially, he didn't respond.

Then, he pulled away from her, turning slowly to look at her face. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No." Heather shook her head, smiling serenely and touching her cheek. "You hardly grazed me. It's nothing."

Nodding slowly, Michael stood and helped her to her feet, then walking to the living room, deadpanned.

Heather followed him, sitting beside him and waiting quietly with him until Sebastian returned an hour later, carrying a white case similar to the one Michael had.

"I think they're all like this, now." Sebastian said, pulling out the disk and showing the white, non-graphic-ed side. "Not a single picture anywhere. And the information booklet is nothing but blank pages." He popped the disk into the system and shut the lid, sliding the memory card into the slot and turning on the game.

For a moment, the screen was black. Then, the familiar opening scene started and Sebastian pressed 'Start', accessing the file and sighing when it loaded, returning to the scene of the group on the bridge of the Fahrenheit.

"See, Mike, things are good." Sebastian nodded, not turning around, "I'll take the helm for a bit, alright?"

* * *

Rayne's eyes flickered open, blinking slowly and staring at the ceiling through squinted lids.

Yawning once, deeply, she sat up and swung her feet over the edge of her cot, only to yawn again when they touched the floor. She shook her head and tried to stand, but halfway through was crippled by yet another yawn that sent her falling onto her backside, the canvass of the cot straining beneath her and her swelled stomach tightening in protest.

"The hell?" Rayne muttered, stifling another yawn, "Jeez, I feel like I was in a coma…"

"Rayne," Yuna's voice called, the summoner stumbling in a moment later when the door slid open, "We're ove—" She stopped to yawn widely, one hand flying to cover her mouth while the other reached out to steady her against the wall.

Her yawn made Rayne yawn, and they both took nearly two minutes to compose themselves before Yuna could stand straight again, frowning and shaking her head.

"Excuse me for that… we're over Baaj." Yuna continued, still frowning slightly, "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Rayne nodded, standing and letting out a soft 'Ooh' as a painful shock went through her back, making her hands press against her lower back so she could support herself. "Damn… I'm not getting that heavy, am I?!" She looked down at her stomach, blinking when she saw it had gotten even bigger. "Oh…"

Yuna looked at her guardian's abdomen, biting her lip, "Rayne—"

"Don't even, Yuna." Rayne cut her off, hobbling forward and nodding to the door, "Let's go, alright? The others are waiting."

* * *

Rayne and Auron stood side by side, staring down at the water below.

"The plan is to let Tidus, Wakka and Rikku go in and clear out any dangerous fiends before we follow." Auron said gruffly, glancing at his wife, "…Even so, I'd prefer it if you waited up here for us to return."

"And I'd prefer it if you all refrained from treating me like an invalid." Rayne growled back, watching as the Zanarkandian, the Besadian, and the Al Bhed princess dove into the waiting, placid water below. "Besides, it's my understanding that, next to floating in outer space, the weightlessness of water is the closest feeling you can get to being in the womb…" She threw him a smile, "Though I suppose that you can only get the full experience if the water is body temperature."

Auron sighed, shaking his head and frowning down at the water, quirking a brow when a giant skeletal fish snuck up behind the three in the water and began assaulting them. "What exactly was it that made you advise them to wear their 'Stoneproof' and 'Stone Ward' armor?"

"Instinct." Rayne muttered back, watching the battle and smirking, "That, and a bit of useful advice from Brother wasn't too much of a disadvantage, either."

After a few moments of the intense underwater battle, the three resurfaced and Tidus waved them down, "Come on in! Everything's clear!"

The others jumped in, Kimahri and Auron staying behind a moment to help make sure Rayne got in safely.

"I'm fine." Rayne rolled her eyes, snapping her fingers and erecting several pillars of ice out of the water below. Brow furrowing in concentration, she slowly let the magic die; the murky pillars melted at a slow, steady rate, easing her into the water.

The unsent and the Ronso dived in after she was in the water, everyone treading water until Tidus nodded and said, "Follow me."

Everyone dove, following the blonde as he led them between two statues to a stone door, which he pushed open as quickly as they could. Of all of those in the water, Rayne and Yuna easily had the weakest lungs, at least when it came to holding their breath.

Panicking, both tried to surface too soon, resulting in them nearly knocking themselves out against the rock ceiling of the underwater hall they were in. Wakka shot up to both of them, offering them both the special air tablets.

They accepted them, and they finished the hall and emerged into the anteroom of the Chamber.

"Well." Rayne blinked, looking around at the statues, "This is… interesting."

Tidus walked up to one, stared at a sphere in a pedestal before the statue, then looked at the next statue over. There was another sphere.

"This sphere…" Tidus said slowly, frowning, "Kinda looks like the Kilika Sphere…" He reached out and touched it, jumping back when the Kilika symbol formed before the statue and above the sphere, which was now glowing red. "Whoa!"

Getting the hint, the guardians spread out and touched the remaining spheres, each lighting in accordance to the temples they visited. All except one, that is.

"It's Yojimbo." Wakka concluded, "It's gotta be. He's the only other summon we got that ain't got a lit symbol yet."

"I don't think so." Rayne frowned, "Think about it; what's one thing that each of the summons and their temples had in common?"

"The… fayth statues?" Rikku asked.

"Clearly," Auron rolled his eyes, "But that's too vague; a fayth needs a statue in order to become a summon. What else?"

"The… spheres?" Lulu frowned.

"No… the Destruction Spheres!" Tidus exclaimed, smiling widely and looking at Rayne, "Remember? Those purple spheres that you made me get at every temple!"

"Yojimbo didn't have one." Rayne blinked, "He didn't have a temple because his fayth had been stolen, so… what other temple was there?"

"Remiem?" Wakka offered.

"Nah," Tidus shook his head, "The door to the Chamber was right behind Belgemine. It's gotta be another temple."

"But there isn't another one!" Rayne growled.

"No," Yuna shook her head, "There is." She looked at her guardians, nodding, "Zanarkand."

Tidus turned immediately, waving over his shoulder, "I'll be back in a bit; I'll go look for the sphere!"

Auron rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, throwing a look at Wakka, "Go with him."

Nodding, Wakka took off after him.

Sighing, the other guardians and the summoner sat and waited, Rayne leaning against Auron and eventually nodding off.

She was awoken some time later by a gloved hand shaking her shoulder, Auron looking down at her and nodding, "They're back."

Grumbling, she took Auron's proffered hand and stood, watching as Tidus touched the final sphere and broke the seal over the door to the Cloister.

Taking the front, Yuna led her guardians into the Chamber.

Once they stepped inside, Rayne's world went black.

* * *

_She was floating again…_

_Floating, floating, floating…_

"_Who's there?"_

"I'm sorry."

"…_Anima?"_

"You will never be able to have a normal life with your child… and for that I apologize. It's the one thing that every woman should have the chance to enjoy, and because of us fayth you can't have it."

"…_It's… alright, Anima. I understand. I just wish… that it had had a fair chance."_

"…I know it matters little, but as a mother I understand your pain."

"…_I am sorry about your son, Anima. No child… or mother should have had to have gone through what you and Seymour went through."_

"…Rayne, listen, I know you wouldn't listen to Bahamut, but please hear me out. When all of this is over… several things will happen. When it gets right down to it… we may have one last request of you."

"…_Anima, please don't tell me anymore. I'm… so tired of all of this right now. Please… just… no more."_

"Alright. Just… so you're not caught completely off guard."

"…_Hey, when you see Bahamut again, could I tell him I'm sorry? I was too short with him."_

"I will."

_She felt lighter, and a light formed above her and grew until she was waking up aboard the Fahrenheit._

* * *

Rayne opened her eyes and sat up, looking to Yuna, "We're done in Baaj? To Remiem, then. It's time for the your final aeon."

* * *

Jeez, is it just me, or have all of the recent chapters ended on a depressing note? (Just kidding, I know they have) Anyway, sorry about that, but I'll try to make things a bit... lighter from here on out. No promises, though; we are getting close to the end, after all, and (as we all know) the end is rather depressing.


	60. Panta rhei Everything is a state of Flux

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Panta rhei, "everything is in a state of flux")

Rayne waited outside of Remiem temple, closing her eyes and sighing when she felt Belgemine depart. "Sleep well, sister."

When the group walked out a moment later, Yuna solemnly walked to Rayne and hugged her. "Are all of the fayth and unsent that tired, Rayne?"

"They are, baby." Rayne nodded, "So don't feel sorry for her; you did her a great favor."

Yuna began shaking against Rayne, "You… you're a fayth too, right? So… when we beat Sin, you'll—"

"Hush, Yuna," Rayne whispered, her hold on the young summoner tightening, "We'll cross that bridge when it comes, alright? Now, then," She backed away, smiling, "Waddya say we get going, eh? A quick stop at the Omega Ruins and then we'll…" She trailed off, not really knowing of any other place they could stall at.

Knowing that their side quests were drawing to a close, Yuna rubbed her eyes and nodded, "Yes. We'll go to the Omega Ruins."

* * *

"Sorry, Missy," Cid shook his head, "But with a baby on board, Omega Ruins is where I draw the line. The power readings of the fiends down there are off the charts, and Braska wouldn't be too pleased with me if I let one of his guardians go down there pregnant."

The air around Rayne crackled and she raised a hand, magicking a ball of ice in her palm, "Excuse me, Master Cid?"

"Rayne," When he had her attention, Auron nodded to her hand, "Look."

Rayne's scowl disappeared and was replaced with a look of confusion when she saw that the ice in her hand was only the size of a kiwi; she had been aiming for something the size of a basketball.

"What?"

"The baby." Auron explained, "It's putting a strain on your magic; I've noticed that your spells haven't been as effective as they should be."

"You're kidding." Rayne muttered, looking between the small ball of ice in her hand and her stomach. "Are you sure?"

"It's quite common among mages, actually." Lulu began, nodding, "We're warned by our teachers when we begin mage training that when someone comes from a magically affiliated background and they have a child, their magic is dramatically decreased a few months before birth. It's a sign that the baby will have a high magical affinity."

Shocked, Rayne looked between Lulu and Auron for a moment before asking, "This isn't a joke, is it? This baby is really making me weaker."

Lulu shrugged, "One of the hazards of being a mother and a mage, Rayne."

Rayne rolled her eyes, then crossed her arms and looked out the front window of the airship sullenly, "Fine."

The group silently walked to the save sphere and teleported down to the ruins, Auron staying behind a moment to put a consoling hand on Rayne's shoulder. She brushed him off, smiling and shaking her head.

"Go before I decide to follow."

Auron grunted, then walked to the sphere and teleported down.

Rayne bit her lip when they were gone, reaching behind her head and fiddling with Anaxagoras nervously.

"Don't worry about them," Rayne looked at Cid, who nodded to her, "They got you husband, Auron, with them, remember? They'll be fine."

Rayne smirked, "_That's_ the part I'm worried about." She joked, but when she broke eye contact with him her face took a strained look.

"…Hey, you still working on that necklace contraption of yours?" Cid asked suddenly, making Rayne look at him again. "Rikku told me about it. You need to get all of the aeon symbols to activate your third level overdrives, right? Which ones do you have left?"

She pulled the necklace out of her shirt and looked at the symbols on the back, "Let's see… there's Valefor, Ifrit, Ixion, Shiva, Bahamut, Yojimbo, Anima, the Magus Sisters…" She trailed off, staring at the final blank space between the three symbols of the Magus Sisters and Valefor, "I suppose the last would be… Zanarkand."

"Alright," Cid nodded, turning and ordering in Al Bhed to Brother, "To Zanarkand."

"You got it, Father!" Brother called back, turning the airship and taking off.

Rayne stared ahead and was silent as they flew, though she could feel Cid's eyes boring into her back.

"Don't suppose there's anythin' I could say to convince you not to join in the final fight, is there?"

With a sigh, Rayne glanced at him and asked, "Cid, why are you so adamant on me abandoning the battle here?"

"Because Braska trusted you," The man began, scratching the back of his head, "You did right by Yuna and Rikku, you've had a helluva life, and, damn it, you've got a kid on the way; you're way too young for this."

Rayne stared at him vapidly, "I'm the second oldest person on this pilgrimage, Cid."

"You're also the only pregnant one." Cid growled.

Rayne sighed irritably, pinching the bridge of her nose, "I've said it before and I'll say it again; can we leave my embryo out of this?"

"No, kid, you can't." Cid scowled, "Because at this point, it's not an embryo; it's a fetus, and a well developed one, at that. You have a responsibility you can't run from."

"I know. I have a summoner to guard."

The Al Bhed leader was caught off guard by this and closed his mouth, looking away.

Brother, though, still had something to say.

"You… should come with us." He said in Al Bhed, craning his neck to get a side glance at Rayne, "You would be welcome with the Al Bhed. You—"

"Thank you, Brother." Rayne said softly in Al Bhed, smiling, "But I want to fight."

Brother turned away, nodding, "Alright."

The rest of the ride was silent, and when they were over Zanarkand, Rayne went inside on her own. She took the transport down to the Chamber, then walked into Yunalesca's room and stood before the still present, still pulsating symbol on the ground.

Reaching into the neckline of her top, Rayne pulled out her necklace and held it out over the symbol. It brightened, and a beam of light shot out of the center and hit the necklace, making it sway slightly.

Then, the beam faded.

Rayne watched as the final symbol formed on the back of the necklace, embossed in grey as the rest were.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, the necklace began to glow bright red, then white, and the chain in her hand began to burn.

Yelping, Rayne let go of the necklace and backed away, watching in shock as it hovered in the air for a moment, then shattered and disintegrated. When something shuddered against her back, Rayne drew Anaxagoras and watched as the stone on top turned red, then white, then yellow, and finally blue before it turned pitch black.

"Your third level overdrive has been unsealed."

Rayne spun around, blinking at the man who had first been there to 'judge' Yuna's journey at the entrance to the dome.

"Who sealed it?" She asked.

"Lord Yevon, I believe." The man nodded, "Not long after you became Lady Yunalesca's guardian."

"I see." Rayne frowned, looking at the black stone at the tip of the staff, "No more elemental damage, I take it?"

"No." The man shook his head, "It is now your Celestial Weapon, Heraclitus."

Rayne frowned, "Celestial Weapon?"

"Weapons of ultimate power that have lied in wait across Spira, waiting for their worthy users to find them." The man nodded, "Heraclitus has been sleeping for a long time under the guise of Anaxagoras. Your uncle disguised him well."

"Uncle Harref? What does he have to do with this?" Rayne asked, confused.

The man smiled, "Why, your uncle was one the five original smiths of the Celestial Weapons. He single handedly created the Heraclitus, worked with a partner on the Masamune and the Nirvana, and joined in a group effort to create the Caladbolg.""

Rayne blinked, nodding, "I see…" She looked at the stone, "Non-elemental damage?"

"Arcane." The man answered, turning and walking away, "Good luck with whatever you need that power for."

Rayne watched him as he disappeared, then left the Zanarkand temple and used the save sphere to teleport back to the Fahrenheit.

"Back to the Ruins."

* * *

Several hours later the group was gathered once again on the bridge and silence hung over them like a lead curtain.

"To… Sin." Tidus finally said.

Cid nodded, "Well… this is it… eh?"

"Yu Yevon's hiding somewhere inside Sin," Tidus nodded, "And we're gonna find him."

"Well, that sounds pretty simple." Cid nodded.

Tidus smirked, "Hey, simple is the way you like it, right?"

Cid laughed, throwing his head back, "You got that right!"

"Pops!" Rikku shouted, pumping her fist into the air, "I'm countin' on ya!"

"Right," Cid turned to the computer, typing something in on the keyboard, "Got you covered!"

The bridge was silent as a prerecording of a full chorus began to sing the Hymn, the beauty of the ensemble making Rayne close her eyes halfway and sing along softly.

Once the song was over, Cid turned to the group and nodded, looking for approval, "How's that?"

"Perfect." Rayne smiled serenely.

Lulu shook her head, smiling at the ludicrousness of the situation, "A singing ship in the sky…"

"Picturesque, isn't it?" Rayne asked, sighing and looking out the windshield.

"Hope everyone got the message." Wakka muttered, looking out the window as if to see whether or not anyone visible below was singing.

"SIN!" Brother cried suddenly, pointing out the front.

Sin flew in front of the airship, turning slightly and facing the group.

"All right," Tidus raised his hand and clenched his fist, "We're going in!"

"How we gonna get inside?" Wakka asked.

"The easy way!" Tidus declared, smiling, "How else?"

Rikku jumped out of her seat near the cockpit and joined the others, rolling her eyes and smiling, "Figures."

"Well?" Lulu asked, suddenly filled with uncharacteristic energy and smiling widely, "Let's go!" She turned and ran out the door, the others following.

Rayne moved as fast as she could, trying to keep up with her hobbling speed walk. Any movement she made to run was met by a sharp tug in her stomach, making her wince and slow down. When she had reached the roof, Tidus was chucking a sphere and the Hymn was being sung by the masses below.

The joy of the moment, though, was interrupted when the air around Sin began to warp and distort and the air got oppressively heavy.

"Damn!" Rayne cursed, dropping to one knee and wrapping her coat and arms around her stomach as Sin released eight balls of gravity, which flew into the earth and split the heavens, ground, and sea.

When the air fell still, Rayne opened her eyes and looked up, blinking slowly when she saw a cylindrical absence of matter where there had once been clouds, trees and water in front of her, left over from where one of the eight balls had bore into the earth.

"We have to fight something that can do that?" She asked no one in particular, blinking again, "Well, we're screwed."

Then, the holes began collapsing in on themselves, trailing eight lines of fire back to the Fahrenheit.

Rayne clasped her eyes shut and covered her stomach again.

When the heat died, the intercom crackled and Cid called, "Hey, I saw somethin' shine at the base of Sin's arm! I reckon it's a weak spot!"

"Then go for it!" Rayne shouted, keeping her head covered when the airship shook, too flustered to translate the Al Bhed that was being shouted over the intercom.

"Rayne!" Auron shouted, "Dodge forward and attack to your right!"

Placing her hands on the ground, Rayne propelled herself forward and stumbled, barely managing to rip out her staff and swing a hastily cast 'Firaga' at the giant mass Sin to her right. She clumsily crashed into someone, breathing a sigh of relief when a well-bronzed, muscled arm wrapped around her shoulders and righted her.

"Thanks, Wakka!"

"No prob, Lady Rayne!" Wakka called back as he ran forward, lugging his blitzball at the glowing blue spot at the base of Sin's left arm.

"How convenient." Rayne muttered as she cast another spell at it.

The group hacked away at the blue plate's life points, Rikku and Tidus shouting orders at the Al Bhed every now and then to move the ship back so they could barely dodge a powerful 'Gravija' spell.

Eventually, the ship fell far back and activated a pair of giant twin cannons from underneath its skirt, shooting and completely severing Sin's left arm.

Rayne winced, "Sorry, Jecht."

"Here we go!" Cid shouted as the airship began to swing around to the other side, where the party repeated the process of hacking away and dodging powerful spells.

"Damn…" Rayne hissed as Sin slammed into the ship, making her stomach pitch painfully. She fell back for a moment, holding her staff under her chin and cradling her stomach with both arms. "Just a bit longer, okay? Just let Mommy fight a bit longer." She then jumped forward again, throwing a final 'Blizzaga' spell before the airship fell back and fired another blast.

Her stomach panged again and she heard static, unable to keep up with the conversations going on around her in Al Bhed and Spiran. When Lulu ran and jumped off the side of the ship and the others followed, she made to go with them, but the world jerked and turned sideways and the floor was pressed to the right side of her vision.

The metal against her ear banged as people surrounded her, hands grabbing her and lifting her to face the sky. The shadow of Sin flew overhead and blocked her view, and when it was gone the high sun overhead blinded her, forcing her to shut her eyes against the light.

There were muffled shouts around her in Al Bhed, the arms holding her jostled as the ship was thrown, her stomach panged yet again, and then she passed out.


	61. Kalliste Harmonia The fairest Harmony

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Kalliste Harmonia, "the fairest harmony")

"—ane? …Rayne? …Rayne, wake up."

Rayne's eyes snapped open and she sat up quickly, head spinning briefly as the blood rushed to her brain.

"Easy." Auron commanded gruffly, pressing his hand against the small of her back to support her.

"What happened?" Rayne groaned, grabbing her head with one hand and her pained stomach with the other.

"You nearly lost the baby." Auron explained, his voice softening, "That last blow Sin dealt to the Fahrenheit jostled the fetus too much." He sighed, then whispered, "Rayne, please—"

"Auron, don't." Rayne interrupted, "It doesn't matter if I come or not because the result is the same; when Yevon is defeated Sin will die and the fayth will awaken, and I with them. Both the baby and I will die, so let me do what I can and fight until the end."

Auron sighed, "Alright." He stood, grabbing her under her arms and hoisting her to her feet. "Let's go, then." He turned to the windshield, staring at something.

Rayne turned, blinking. Sin was perched atop the tallest building of Bevelle, staring right at them.

Tidus ran inside at that moment, Yuna behind him, and Auron turned to the boy, "Jecht… He's waiting for you."

Cid turned to Tidus, rubbing the back of his head, "Well, son, the main gun is still busted! We can't give you any cover fire."

"Hey, just take us in." Tidus shook his head, "We'll do the rest." He then turned to the others slowly getting nods and smiles of approval from them. When he turned to Rayne, he had a slightly guilty look in his eye as he looked from her to Auron then to her again, his eyes flickering down to her stomach. When he looked back up, she was smiling and nodding to him, as well. Smiling back, Tidus turned to Cid and nodded.

"Alright." Cid nodded, turned to Brother and shouting, "Take us up, flush to the mouth! No mistakes, or I'm gonna tear out that mop you call hair!"

"Trust… me." Brother nodded, speaking in broken Spiran, "Me… take you there. No problem… ya?"

"Let's get ready to blitz!" Tidus shouted, pulling out a long, wavy blue blade.

When the others began pulling out weapons she had never seen them use before, Rayne pulled out her ItemFinder and turned it on, discreetly scanning each weapon.

"Caladbolg… World Champion…Onion Knight… Nirvana… Spirit Lance… Masamune… Godhand…" She murmured, blinking and reading the description that came up synonymous with each weapon, "The Celestial Weapons, made over one thousand years ago by five of the great weapon smiths from Zanarkand all the way to Besaid."

"Lady Rayne!" She looked up, blinking when she saw Wakka staring at her and waving, "Come on! We're goin'!"

Nodding and smiling, Rayne gathered herself up and jogged after him, her stomach no longer paining her.

On the roof of the Fahrenheit, Yuna summoned her aeons back to back, unleashing their overdrives as Sin slowly drew them closer and closer. Eventually, Sin unleashed an unearthly roar and opened its mouth wide, giving the airship plenty of berth to fly inside.

Lights flashed and haze engulfed them, temporarily blinding them before giving way to a tan sky and a bronze ocean, the air all around awash with pyreflies.

There was a flash, and the image of Seymour appeared before them before disappearing, his laugh echoing all around.

Rayne felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, but it cleared when she felt a gentle tug in her stomach. She blinked, confused. Despite being surrounded by pyreflies and one of the oldest of the fayth/unsent in the history of Spira, Rayne felt no drawing at her soul to let her pyreflies disperse. Somehow… her child had cured it.

Smiling to herself, Rayne followed the others to the ground as the Fahrenheit landed, leaving them wandering on the watery ground of the hazy land inside of Sin.

"Dad!" Tidus called out, looking around, "Where are you?!"

"Further up and further in." Rayne muttered.

Auron nodded, "We must go to him."

"Then we will." Tidus nodded, running ahead, "Let me take the front!"

"Good luck!" Yuna called after him.

Tidus nodded again, "Follow me!"

He led them through a distorted maze, the group often getting thrown off by the pulsating symbols beneath their feet that dotted the expanse and the swirling chains of letters that appeared and disappeared as they pleased. Then, they saw a form of stability and ran to it. It was a semicircle of pillars and a rug, attached to a staircase that led up into the dislocating mist.

Spotting a save point nearby, Rayne hobbled over and leaned against it, panting, "Can we take a quick break?"

The group, distracted by the surrealism and gravity of the situation, merely responded with noncommittal grunts and split, each walking to their own section to sit and think.

Kimahri stood at the base of the stairs, hackles raised and muscles tense with anticipation as he looked around for potential threats; Tidus stood off a ways past the save sphere, looking off distractedly in the distance with Yuna standing at his side, her face full of sorrow. On the side opposite the save sphere, Lulu and Wakka stood side by side, watching Tidus and Yuna with mixed sympathy and confusion.

Rayne stood witness to all of this in the center of the clearing, back-to-back with Auron, who stood with his head lowered and his eyes closed.

"Auron," Rayne muttered after a moment, "How far along do I look?"

Auron grunted, "Hmph, you think I'd know?"

Rayne rolled her eyes, "Take a guess for me, will you?"

"…Eight months, roughly."

"Hmm…" Rayne looked at large stomach thoughtfully, running a hand over it, "Good thing this is almost over then, isn't it? I'd hate to start giving birth during the final battle."

"…Yes, let's try to avoid that, shall we?"

"Yeah… Hey, Auron? On the Farplane… do you suppose we'll be conscious of our own existence?"

Auron leaned back against her slightly, shrugging, "Who really knows? No one can remember a thing after their pyreflies are reassembled, so perhaps in the Farplane, if enough of a bodies previous pyreflies come into coalescence, a person can recreate their consciousness even after death."

"…If it can be done, try and wait for me, okay? And I'll wait for you."

"Even in death, huh?" Auron chuckled, his hand reaching back and taking Rayne's, "Alright. I'll either be waiting or looking, depending on which of us goes first."

"If it's you, wait and I'll look. If it's me, I'll wait while you try to find me."

"Alright."

"I can't stand here anymore." Tidus said suddenly, whirling around and walking to the stairs, "Let's just go, already." He briefly reached out and touched the save sphere as he walked by it, then began ascending the steps.

Unspeaking, the group followed close behind.

At the top of the stairs, a vast expanse of open sky stretched out before them, and silhouetted against the setting sun was none other than…

"Seymour." Rayne sighed.

"Don't you ever give up?" Tidus asked, scowling and crossing his arms.

"Sin has chosen me!" Seymour declared happily, "I am part of Sin. I am one with Sin, forever. Immortal!"

"Noooo…" Tidus began slowly, almost comically except for the gravity of the situation, "Sin just _absorbed_ you."

"I will learn to control it, from within. I have all the time in the world." Seymour went on, clearly no longer thinking coherently and nothing more than a shadow of his former self, "Since you were gracious enough to dispose of Yunalesca...the only means of destroying Sin is forever gone. Now nothing can stop us!" As he spoke, his body began to take a shimmery glow and his color slowly drained away, leaving behind a being that seemed to be made of water.

When he was finished speaking, he rose into the air and four giant disks formed behind him, each disk containing four smaller disks on the four cardinal points. The disks rotated so that four smaller red disks framed Seymour, at which point his raised his hand and cast a spell.

Someone grabbed Rayne under her arms and hauled her to the side quickly, she and her savior barely dodging a high-level 'Firaga' spell.

Seeing the blue arm, Rayne muttered a hasty "Thanks, Kimahri" before stepping forward and countering Seymour's spell with a 'Blizzaga'.

"We'll stop you!" Tidus shouted, jumping forward and cutting Seymour, who was hardly effected.

"By all means, try!" Seymour giggled, holding out his arms as if to welcome their attacks, "You should thank me. Your death means your father's life!"

Tidus roared and flashed red, jumping in and unleashing his 'Slice & Dice' overdrive.

The battle commenced, the group quickly learning how to deal with the four disks behind Seymour and when not to use certain elemental attacks.

"Yuna, don't!" Rayne called at one point when Yuna was about to overdrive summon an aeon, "Save it for later!"

Nodding, Yuna fell back and stuck with curative spells.

After a time of pounding away and casting spells, Lulu cried out and flashed red. Raising her arm over her head, she twisted her wrist sharply and shouted, "Fury: Flare!"

Twelve successful and successive 'Flare' spells were unleashed, and the four disks behind Seymour collapsed and the former maester, himself, fell out of the air and slumped to the ground, his color slowly returning.

"No…" He muttered.

"Yuna!" Wakka cried, "Send him, now!"

Yuna nodded, decisive and final, "Right." She then walked forward and began to dance the Sending.

"So it is you, after all, who will send me." Seymour said, his pyreflies beginning to disperse, "But even after I am gone, Spira's sorrow will prevail."

"Sin will be right behind you." Tidus said coldly as Seymour dissipated for the last time.

A light surrounded them, and when it cleared the group was no longer standing upon the banister-less balcony overlooking the sky but rather in what appeared to be a run-down city.

"Oh my god…" Rayne muttered, placing her hand against her mouth and looking around with wide eyes. When the others looked at her for an explanation, she shook her head and said, "This is… the part of town where Lord Yevon's manse was. This is… the part of Zanarkand that was on top of Sin's head. I spent several years of my life here… back when I was Lady Yunalesca's guardian."

"Yu Yevon's house?" Tidus asked, looking around, "Doesn't look like much anymore."

Rayne shook her head slowly, "I suppose a thousand years will do that…" She wandered forward dreamily, the group following her as she navigated her way through the devastated streets that had once been her home.

Eventually, the streets led them to a dead-ended open area of nothing. The others made to turn back and see if they had missed anything, but Rayne stayed where she was.

"This was where the mansion was." She said when the others began to walk away, making them turn back and stare.

There was a creaking, metallic groan above them, making everyone look up and jump back in shock with a giant tower dropped out of the sky. It stretched off out of sight upwards, but at the base were several colorful, large disks, all decorated with various Yevonite symbols.

After brushing her hand against a save sphere against the base of the tower, Rayne wordlessly walked and pressed herself against the nearest plate, the instantaneous reaction being a flash of light and her disappearing.

After a moment's hesitation, Tidus ran after her, disappearing, as well. The others followed seconds after.

They emerged in what appeared to be a more silvered version of Macalania, and were immediately assailed by thick spires of ice that sprung up out of the ground. After dodging a few, they caught sight of Rayne running around in circles, grabbing small crystal balls whenever she came across them.

"Get as many as you can!" She shouted.

The group scrambled around to collect the spheres, and when they had they were consumed by yet another flash of light.

When they could see again, they were all standing together on a great platform in the center of what appeared to be the ruins of the Luca blitzball dome.

In front of them, a figure stood with his back to them, his arms crossed and his legs spread slightly in a defiant stance Rayne would know anywhere.

"Jecht…"


	62. Hodos ano kato

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Hodos ano kato, "the way up and the way down")

It was when she saw Jecht that Rayne came to realize how disconnected she was being about the end of her own story and life. Though it was true she had technically been dead for millennium, she had technically lived the last twenty-nine, almost thirty, years of her life (or dead-life, depending on what you would call it) as a human being.

Still, she felt nothing but numb when she thought about her swiftly approaching death, and at the moment she didn't feel numb at all; she was too busy holding in the sea of emotions that had swelled in her chest when Jecht jerked his head back in acknowledgement to her call.

"Hey, Rayne. Auron. You're both late." He commented dryly, his voice still as gruff as always.

"I know." Auron muttered, lowering his gaze.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Rayne let out a strangled "Jecht" and ran forward, wrapping her arms around the man from behind and holding him as close as her swelled stomach would allow.

"I'm so sorry." She muttered, trembling as he turned around and held her at arms length, smirking down at her stomach.

"Hah! So you and the stiff finally got in on, didja?"

"Jecht!" Rayne sputtered, scandalized but still smiling back when faced with his roguish grin.

The man laughed, then pulled her into a swift hug that said everything he couldn't. When he pulled away, he looked at the group, his eyes scanning across them, pausing on Auron a bit longer than the rest before finally landing on Tidus.

"Hey." Jecht smirked, nodding.

Tidus tried to smile, but failed and ended up lowering his gaze to his fathers muscled arm and raising a hand, "Hi."

Jecht's smirk widened, "Hah! You got tall, but you're all bones! You eating right, boy?" He paused, then softened his tone as much was possible for him and said, "You've really grown."

"Yeah," Tidus nodded, lowering his gaze, "But you're still bigger."

Jecht smirked, shrugging, "Well, I am Sin, you know."

Tidus bristled, closing his eyes and grumbling, "That's not funny."

"Well, then... I mean...you know." Jecht shifted uncomfortably, then nodded seriously, "Let's end this."

"Dad?"

Jecht blinked, "Yeah?"

Tidus paused, then looked up at him seriously, choking a bit as he said, "I hate you." It wasn't what he meant at all, Rayne realized with a sad smile, but the boy had taken after his father in the sense that he would never be able to say what he really meant to the man.

"I know, I know." Jecht chuckled, nodding. He then sobered, "You know what you have to do."

Tidus nodded, "Yeah."

Jecht rubbed the back of his head and admitted, "I can't hear the Hymn so well anymore. Pretty soon, I'm gonna be Sin. Completely. I'm glad you're here now. One thing, though... When it starts, I won't be myself anymore. I won't be able to hold myself back. I'm sorry."

"…Ieyui..." Jecht turned to Rayne, who had lowered her head and was singing, "Nobomenu… Renmiri… Yojuyogo…" She looked up at Jecht and smiled, "Hasatekanae… Kutamae…"

Jecht smiled solemnly, "Thanks, kiddo. It was… nice to hear it one more time."

"That's enough!" Tidus shouted, making Jecht and Rayne turn back to face him, "Let's finish this, okay?!"

Jecht nodded, "You're right." He then nodded to Rayne, who turned away from him and began to walk back to the group. When she was by Auron's side, Jecht turned and walked further onto the giant symbol he was standing on, "Well, then... Let's go!"

Spinning around, Jecht crossed his arms in front of his face, a burst of energy forming at where his wrists met. Jerking his arms apart, Jecht let the ball of energy be absorbed into his chest, then stepped back and fell over the edge of the ledge, into the crag below.

Screaming, Tidus ran after him, holding his hand out to catch his father.

Jecht, though, just smirked at him one last time before he disappeared over the edge.

A second later, a giant flaming hand shot up and grabbed the edge of the plateau, making Tidus jump back.

An aeon that could only be Jecht pulled itself up, two giant pillars of rock forming on either side of it and floating in midair, sections spinning like a one-way Rubik's cube.

The aeon roared and the party jumped into action.

Suddenly feeling younger and more limber than she had in years, Rayne ripped her staff out of its sheath and spun it around her head, shouting, "Jecht! Auron! Let's give Braska's summoning party a proper sendoff, alright?!"

The beast roared and Auron laughed.

Smirking, himself, Tidus jumped forward and delivered the first blow of the final fight.

Fighting Jecht was harder than Rayne had ever imagined; the pagodas on either side of him energized and healed him at every turn, and Jecht was, by far, the most powerful aeon she had ever seen.

Every blow dealt cost her thousands of her life points, and she was quickly running out of Hi-Potions and Mega-Potions. Around her, the party was scrambling to do the same as her; survive.

Then, Yuna summoned the first aeon on her list; Valefor.

The bird dove from the sky and spent its overdrive immediately, the powerful 'Energy Blast' ripping into Jecht's side and freezing the pagodas in place.

The initial attack, though, cost the aeon much of her energy, and she remained stationary for some time in an attempt to recover it. This time was all Jecht needed to reach out and grab the bird aeon, squeezing her until she fell limp in his grasp and dissipated into pyreflies.

"Valefor!" Yuna cried, grabbing her chest to ward off the pain.

Seeing Yuna in this state, Rayne felt a sudden burst of energy and flashed red, her staff trembling in her hands.

"Let's go then, Heraclitus." Rayne muttered, spinning her staff once before raising it up over her head, slamming the butt back onto the ground, "Dike eris!"

A large symbol glowing green and black opened beneath Rayne's feet, spreading out around her in a massive radius. It pulsed and she stepped back, allowing a figure to rise up from the center.

A tanned woman with long, lanky black hair rose from the center of the symbol. Long black cloth hung from her body haphazardly, barely managing to cover her chest and lower regions and leaving a large majority of her flesh bare, the excess pooling out beneath her. In her hand she held a great black scythe, too thick for any apparent conventional use but present nonetheless.

Slowly, the woman turned to face Rayne, her tone and face deadpanned as she asked, "Are you willing to pay the price?"

"Strife is justice." Rayne answered, her face voice of all emotion.

The woman nodded, "Very well." She then reached out and placed her hand on Rayne's breast, draining all of Rayne's magic points and three quarters of her remaining life points; her scythe glowing with sickly green energy.

Her work done, the woman spun back around and raised her scythe into the air, dragging it down in a slow, precise motion and shouting, "Scrydean Blow!"

A crescent band of green energy burst from the air where the blade struck, flying forward and striking Jecht across his chest, leaving him poisoned and shaving off a quarter of his life points.

Energy spent, Rayne fell back and slumped against her staff, fully intent on letting the others finish Jecht off and waiting for the battle against Yevon.

When the poison of her last blow, though, finished off Jecht, the grip of a sword burst from his chest.

Rayne stared with wide eyes as he pulled the blade out, preparing to attack. 'A second form…'

Jecht set his sights on one person and raised the blade, preparing to swing down.

From the very beginning, since the first time she had thrown a rock at a fiend on the Mi'ihen Highroad in an attempt to save Braska, Rayne had been impulsive.

This time was no different.

When she saw the blade fall, she dropped her staff and ran forward, stepping between the sword and its intended victim and pushing them out of the way.

She then felt an oppressive weight on her back, covered her stomach with both hands, and closed her eyes.

* * *

Heather screamed.

Sebastian swore.

Michael jumped to his feet and roared, "RAYNE!"

* * *

Yuna watched in horror as Rayne took the blow that was meant for her, Jecht's sword slicing through her back at an angle and nearly severing her arm.

Blood sprayed and Rayne's mouth opened in a silent scream, her face paling in seconds.

Yuna screamed.

The summoner watched as the light in her guardian's eyes flickered, then faded, and a numbness spread through the summoner's body like poison as Rayne pitched forward, her arms still loosely cradling her stomach.

When Jecht raised his sword to strike again, Auron roared and ran forward, holding out his sword and fending off the aeon's giant blade.

Yuna screamed and watched in horror.

* * *

The television screen went white, "Michael. You still have a choice."

The three young adults stared at the screen as Bahamut appeared.

"You can bring Rayne back here and now. She will be her proper age and none of you will remember a thing. It would be as though she never left. Your life can go back to normal."

"…" Michael just stared at the fayth, waiting.

"The catch, though," Bahamut went on, knowing what Michael was waiting for, "Is this story and this world will die. Everything Rayne went though will have been for nothing, and every dream she made here will be lost."

Heather and Sebastian turned to Michael, staring at him.

Michael lowered his head and clenched his fist, no hesitation in his voice as he hissed, "Play the game."

Bahamut nodded, disappeared, and the battle resumed on the screen.

* * *

For Yuna, the rest of the battle with Jecht passed in a blur.

When the dying Zanarkandian lay on the ground, his son hovering over him, they exchanged their final words.

"I'm glad…" Tidus finally said, standing, "To have you as my father."

This made Jecht smile. "Heh."

"Sir Jecht." Yuna said, stepping forward, "I should—" She held out her staff, indicating that she wanted to send him.

"No, Yuna!" Jecht exclaimed, "There's no time! You have to defeat Yevon before…" He trailed off, glancing at the body of Rayne with a pained expression.

Above them, what was left of Yu Yevon hovered around them, waiting to move in.

"You go away!" Tidus shouted, waving his arms at it.

"Yuna." Jecht grunted, standing, "The aeons…"

Bahamut appeared behind Yuna, saying, "We aeons…"

"Call them!" Jecht shouted.

"Call us!" Bahamut shouted.

Jecht pitched forward, melting into pyreflies.

Yuna nodded after him, "Yes."

"Here it comes!" Lulu shouted, staring up at the descending form of Yu Yevon.

The battlefield changed in a flash and the group woke up on Jecht's sword.

Standing, Yuna began to summon her aeons, which the group defeated one by one as Yevon possessed them.

* * *

"Michael…" Heather whispered as her boyfriend directed the party in the final battle against the entity of Yu Yevon, itself, Tidus having already said his goodbyes. "Why didn't you—"

"Because if Rayne knew… she'd never forgive me." Michael muttered, sighing and setting down the controller as Yu Yevon finally fell. "That world… is her world, now. She was born to it… she deserves to be able to die in it."

Sebastian wordlessly slapped him on the back, staring at the screen intently.

Heather nodded and turned back to the screen, herself, tears gathering in her eyes.

* * *

"Don't stop." Auron muttered when Yuna stopped dancing, realizing that he was being sent in her Sending.

"But… I…" Yuna began.

Sighing, Auron walked over to Rayne's body and picked her up, carrying her to the center of the symbol where Jecht had stood and passed on. "It's all right. It's been long enough. This is your world now."

Nodding, Yuna finished the sending.

Sighing, Auron looked down at the woman in his arms, flashes of their pilgrimages and life coming back to him. His gaze flickered to her stomach where his child lay, dead, then back to her face.

'Don't worry, Rayne. I'll find you… the both of you.'

Slowly, they both disintegrated, their pyreflies rising up and scattering to the sky.


	63. Hepesthai to ksuno

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Hepesthai to ksuno, "follow the common")

"Everyone...everyone has lost something precious." Yuna said on the screen as Michael, Heather, and Sebastian sat back wordlessly, watching, "Everyone here has lost homes, dreams, and friends. Everybody... Now, Sin is finally dead.

"Now, Spira is ours again." Yuna went on after a short applause, "Working together... Now we can make new homes for ourselves, and new dreams. Although I know the journey will be hard, we have lots of time. Together, we will rebuild Spira. The road is ahead of us, so let's start out today."

Yuna stopped, again, to allow an applause, "Just, one more thing... The people and the friends that we have lost, or the dreams that have faded..."

The scene of Yuna faded, showing flashes of the journey the group had been on. Still, Yuna's voice remained.

"Never forget them."

The credits rolled for several minutes, ending in one final scene of a smiling Tidus awakening in water. He looked up, smiling, then swam to the surface.

'The End' appeared on the screen, accompanied by the song 'To Zanarkand'.

The song played for one minute, then the screen turned white and Maechen appeared.

"Tell me," He said, "What have you learned that I do not know?"

Michael thought for a moment, then answered, "The High Magister Rayne of Bevelle and Zanarkand… was one of the guardians of Yunalesca. When she became a fayth, she dreamed herself to the planet Earth and became my sister. Then, she was taken back to Spira, where she became both High Summoner Braska's and High Summoner Yuna's guardian. She loved and married the Guardian Auron, and died in the final battle against Sin. She now rests on the Farplane."

Maechen nodded slowly, "That is a good tale that I have not heard. …I shall now play the sphere she left you."

The screen turned blue and Rayne's voice came on.

"_Hey, everyone. If you're listening to this, it means you've found the hidden file in the Luca sphere place. I just have a few things to say, and I don't really want to take too long saying them, so here it goes:_

_Michael._

_No matter what you may have seen, and no matter what life I had in Zanarkand, you have always been and will always be my brother and best friend._

_I guess that, when I first came to Earth, I was looking for a family that reminded me of the one I had back in Spira. But, when I found you and Mom and Dad, I found more than a replacement; I found a second family._

_I love you, my brother, and I love Mom and Dad, too._

_(sigh)Take care of them for me._

_Sebastian._

_Remember how we met? _

_My first day at school, I was walking in with Michael. The second period bell rang, students started pouring out of the classrooms, and Michael didn't want to be seen with me._

_So, he pushed me away from him… and right into your girlfriend, Kendra._

_She had a fit. (laughs)_

_Then, after Michael forced you to be nice to me, you took it a step further and protected me from everyone who was bullying me… at the price of tutoring you, of course._

_All in all, you were one of the best friends I had, and I thank you._

_Take care of yourself, and I hope you find happiness._

_Heather._

_You and I were never particularly close, but you were nicer to me than most of the other girls._

_You and my brother have been together since we moved to town, five years ago… well, fifteen, here._

_I was surprised that a girl with friends like you had would date my brother, but I guess that's just me being narrow-minded._

_You've been good for my brother, and you've brought out the best in him._

_(pause)Keep an eye on him for me._

_One last thing before I go… No matter how things go down in the end… even if I live or die… even if I never see the true end of this pilgrimage… I love you all, and the life I had here on Spira was the best I could have ever hoped for._

_Thank you… for letting me live this life… instead of trying to shelter and save me._

_Goodbye."_

The TV shut off and the PlayStation popped open, revealing the CD of the game. It now held its proper graphics. Beside the PlayStation, the game case also held color, revealing a picture of the entire summoning party, Rayne included, looking directly at the camera taking the picture, all of them posing and smiling.

Below the game case was a note.

_Michael,_

_Now that this story is complete and its universe set right, this disk is nothing more than a game._

_You can now play it without ever having to worry about altering the Spiran universe, so that you can now see the memories of Rayne whenever you wish. However, you will no longer be able to communicate with her through this game. The Rayne it holds will remember you, but will no longer address you directly._

_I am sorry for the grief you have suffered._

_Yours truly,_

_The Fayth_

At that moment, the front door opened and Michael's mother and father walked in.

"Honey, we're home!"

Michael gathered the game and popped it into the case, stuffing the note in with it. He then turned to Heather and Sebastian, nodding silently.

They nodded back, then stood and walked to the foyer to greet the unsuspecting adults.

Michael stared at the game a moment longer, then set it on top of the television and walked away.

* * *

When Yuna, Lulu and Wakka got back to Besaid, Gatta delivered the sphere Rayne had left in his care.

When they had managed to escape the celebrations, they wandered into their hut and sat down, Yuna playing the sphere.

"_Hey, you guys. If you're watching this… Auron, Tidus and I are gone._

_But don't feel sad about losing us, because we aren't truly gone._

_Who knows? Someday, we might be resurrected as… chocobos or shoopufs or something…_

_Wakka… Lulu… just so you know… you two make the most adorable couple ever! (giggle) Hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge._

…_Yuna… sweetie… I know it hurts right now… but don't worry. Things will work out the way they're supposed to, I promise._

…_I love you, and I'll see you again… But hopefully not too soon, right?_

…_Bye…"_

* * *

If you like the way this ends here and now, then don't read the next chapter. Assume this is where it ends and go about reading other fics.


	64. Want and Get

Final Fantasy X and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X storyline (such as Rayne and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Want and Get)

Rayne was floating… floating… floating in a sea of warmth.

All around her, pyreflies swarmed, bathing her and the child in her arms in a gentle, warm light.

The child wiggled in her arms and against her chest, cooing.

"Don't worry, sweetie." Rayne muttered with a smile, "Daddy will find us soon. He did promise, after all, and Daddy never breaks his promises."

"You're right," Warm arms circled her waist, pulling her into a firm chest. Soft breath hit her ear as he chuckled against the side of her face, "I don't."

Rayne smiled, closing her eyes, "Auron…"

The child wiggled again.

"That ours?" Auron asked.

Still smiling, Rayne nodded, "He is."

"What's his name?"

"… Michael."

"What, after the brother who didn't like me?"

"Auron…"

"Kidding." Auron said, nuzzling her neck, "It's a good name."

They floated for some time in the soft abyss, resting against each other and speaking periodically.

Then, a flash of purple appeared above Rayne.

"Sorry, Rayne," Bahamut muttered, "But we need you to do one more thing."

"No." Auron growled, pulling her closer to him, "She's done enough for you."

Bahamut shook his head, "I am sorry."

Rayne began to feel heavy and she slid through Auron, who was no longer tangible to her.

Auron spun around and reached out, grabbing at her hand, "Rayne!"

She reached out to take his hand, but she just slid right through him, "I can't!"

"Rayne!" Auron called after her as she fell, "RAYNE!"

"AUUUROOON!"

She was falling… falling… falling… Rayne crashed onto the plateau of the Farplane on the living side. She found herself staring up at the cloudy sky of the Farplane, Auron no longer in view.

"BAHAMUT, YOU BASTAAAARD!"

* * *

...Okay, I admit it. I am way to mean to my characters... but I'm not a believer in happy endings.


	65. Question Time!

Okay, so now that I finished the story, here's the little 'questions' section I promised!

* * *

_From Mata-NuiXIII: I'm wondering, though, what is the time difference between Earth and Spria is? Is it something like a few minutes in our world; is it a day in theirs; or is it more complicated than that?_

Rayna: …Well, lemme think about that for a moment.

When I wrote this, I knew that there were going to be differences in time measurement, but I never really thought it out. So…

If, in the game, Zanarkand was destroyed a thousand years ago and Rayne died with it, resurrecting herself as a dream on Earth and living for nineteen years before going back, that ratio would look like 1000:19 which, when divided, comes out to 52.631578947368421052631578947368… so, that's like fifty-three years in Spira for every one on Earth… I think.

And, if only three days passed in the real world while Michael, Heather, and Sebastian were playing the game, but several months (…let's go with 5.5, since I can't decide between 5 or 6 btw, if anyone knows the actual length of the journey, tell me so I can fix this, please!)… anyway, three days on Earth for every 5.5 months in Spira… that's 5.5:3, which comes out to 1.8333333333333333333333333333333, so that'd be about two Spiran months for every single Earthen day…

…XX CURSE YOU, MATA-NUIXIII!!

* * *

_From Mata-NuiXIII: Why is it that Boky grew so attached to Rayne? Is there some thing about her that draws him to her or is it because she saved him from the Chocobo Eater? And if it is the former reason is it why he dislikes Auron, or is it because he can sense that Auron is an unsent and is just being overprotective of her?_

Rayna: …Hehe, funny story about that.

You see, when Rayne and Auron fell into the crevice, Rayne landed in a giant patch of Gysahl Greens. Smelling basically of the chocobo version of catnip (and coupled with the fact that the chocobo now believed that a giant leaf of Gysahl Greens had saved him), Boky decided to devote his life to serving Rayne.

Of course, after a while the scent of Greens began to wear off, but being a rather simple-minded chocobo Boky never noticed and simply went about his merry way, forever associating anything Rayne-shaped and blue with his savior leaf of Greens (which would also explain why he would always help her whenever he ran across her).

And as for why Boky didn't like Auron… well, even chocobo's have a sense of color coordination, and he knew right off that red was the opposite of blue. Because the new object of his devotion was blue, that automatically meant that anything that was red was an enemy. Thus was spawned Boky's dislike of Auron.

That, and the chocobo was mildly disturbed by Auron's pants, for reasons even I will not be able to explain.

* * *

_From bebepantheon: I was wondering, the last chapter is shown Rayne falling down somewhere, where is it? Doing another sequel?_

To answer your first question, Rayne fell onto the plateau that people walk onto when visiting the Farplane.

To answer your second question… Well, I might as well say it, since most are going to ask after reading the last chapter, anyway:

Yes, there will be a third installment. When it does come out (still working on it), it'll be filed under the Final Fantasy X-2 section, because I am, once again, using the storyline provided by Square-Enix to backbone a majority of the story.

It may take a bit because I'm playing the game as we speak (I didn't want to start until I had beaten FFX, which I just did the day before yesterday, and I just got my copy of FFX-2 to start working yesterday evening), so when I get a few chapters done, I'll begin posting.

* * *

_From bebepantheon … well, not really, but because you indirectly asked, I shall answer: WILL WE EVER SEE BOKY AGAIN?!_

Yes! I shall bring Boky back in the next installment!

T.T I love chocobos so friggin much it's unhealthy! I have proof! I have injured myself while distracted by chocobos!

…(takes moment to compose self) Yes, Boky shall play his part in the next fic.

* * *

Anyway, if anyone else has any questions, feel free to send them in so I can answer them to the best of my ability!


End file.
